Not to Disappear
by Issi Herondale
Summary: Clary and Jace are anything but friends. But in a sudden twist of fate they find themselves much more. Family. With two small children and determination to make the best of their situation, while honoring the last wishes of their best friends, they set off into the uncharted territory that is parenthood.
1. Delicate Ribbons

**I know it's been a long time since I've updated, but this idea came to me and I decided to just go for it. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Clary's eyes moved to the clock hanging on the wall, for what she thought must have been the hundredth time. She had been waiting for nearly an hour for her interview. With each passing minute, she grew more anxious.

"Ms. Highsmith will see you now," the receptionist said, motioning to the office door.

She held the briefcase, her mother had given to her the previous night, to her chest. She then thanked the receptionist and then moved towards the office.

She knocked softly as a courtesy and then entered.

"Have a seat," Ms. Highsmith told her, looking up from her desktop.

She pulled out the chair across from the headmistress and sat down.

"They weren't lying when they said that you were young."

Clary swallowed nervously. She wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't as if she didn't know she was young.

"How old are you?"

"I'm 24."

Ms. Highsmith smiled in a way that surprised Clary.

"You must be something very special to be so young and come highly recommended. Our standard minimum age to be hired is 35. You sure impressed the right person or you wouldn't be here right now."

"Impressed?" Clary asked. "Who recommended me?"

"That would be telling, wouldn't it."

Ms. Highsmith leaned over and pulled out her desk drawer. When she sat up again, she was holding a desk file. She opened it and looked up at Clary.

"Let's begin shall we," she smiled. "I'm formally known as Ms. Highsmith to students and parents, but you along with the rest of the staff may call me Annamarie. I assume that your teaching name would be Fairchild, am I correct?"

Clary's heart skipped a beat. She made it sound as though it was a done deal and the job was already hers. Everyone had told her that she would have interview after interview and it could take anywhere from months to over a year to be hired.

"Yes," Clary said, ignoring the urge to grin like an idiot.

"I see that you attended Yale your freshman year before transferring to Columbia, what was the reason for that?"

The question seemed unexpected to her. It had been over five years since she'd started college, near a lifetime ago. But the reason she'd transferred wasn't one she was going to share with Annamarie. It had been the result of a careless eighteen year old's mistakes and she didn't care to relive it.

"I was having a difficult time transitioning, being so far from home," Clary lied.

Annamarie raised a single eyebrow in amusement.

"You had a 4.0, I'd say that qualifies as a successful adjustment."

She felt her cheeks grow a bit red.

"While it had a fantastic art program, I didn't enjoy their teaching methods."

"Oh?" Mused the headmistress. "What you think suitable teaching methods are?"

Clary turned her bracelet nervously. She had gone over the answer at least a hundred times when she had practiced, yet at that point, she was drawing a blank. Finally, when she thought the moment couldn't get any worse, she remembered.

"I think teacher-student relationships are the key. Having only recently finished school myself, I understand that what students want is to be engaged, while being treated like adults."

"I see," she nodded. "I noticed in addition to you majoring in art you also majored in literature, is that correct?"

"Yes," Clary answered. "Art was my main focus, but I found that two are closely related, which is why I made it a point to major in both, as well as minor in history."

"I think that should serve you well."

Clary began to sense that she wasn't interviewing for the arts position. That would be too good to be true.

"It's my understanding that you intend to teach art." Annamarie paused just long enough for Clary to nod. "Unfortunately, we don't currently have that position available. However, should you accept the history position, you would be eligible to replace the art teacher when she retires in two to three years."

Clary knew that there had to be a catch. She had never wanted to teach anything other than art. But she had been there all of five minutes and to be offered a job straight out of university, at a private school, was an amazing opportunity. She couldn't say no.

"You can give me your answer now, or I can give you until next week at the latest to hear back from you."

She internally sighed. Something told her that Annamarie already knew what her answer was going to be.

"There's no need," Clary told her. "I accept."

* * *

Clary met Tessa later that afternoon, in a café near her apartment. Since Clary was a freshman in high school they had done so every week. The only time they had ever missed having coffee had been when Clary briefly attended Yale and when Tessa had studied in England as an exchange student.

"How did it go?" Tessa asked eagerly, setting her coffee on the table as she sat down.

Clary looked over to Lucie's stroller, where she was sleeping soundly. It never ceased to amaze her how she could seemingly sleep through anything.

"I got the job," Clary said, glancing back to Tessa.

Tessa smiled.

"I thought you would."

She leaned over and picked up her diaper bag. Clary expected her to pull out something for Lucie, but instead she produced a small box and slid it across the table.

"What's this?"

"Just open it."

She pulled at the delicate ribbons and removed the lid. Inside laid an apple necklace engraved with a C.

"Oh Tessa, they're beautiful, you didn't have to, though."

"I wanted to," Tessa told her. "Besides, it's something that will never go out of style."

Clary jokingly rolled her eyes. Between the two of them, Tessa would have been much better suited to being a teacher. But instead, Tessa had become a journalist, writing a successful weekly column for the New York Times, while juggling being a full-time mom. Part of Clary was a bit jealous. Tessa was only two years older, yet she had her entire life together.

"When do you start?"

"Three weeks."

Clary caught the slight hint of a sparkle in Tessa's eyes. Whenever that happened, it meant Tessa had an idea. And Tessa's ideas tended to lead Clary down a path of trouble.

"Since you have some time before you start, do you think it would be possible for you to watch Lucie and James for a couple nights, so Will and I could get out of town."

A couple nights with a four-year-old and a two-year-old was a far cry from how Clary envisioned spending part of the remainder of her free time. A night here and there was fine, but more than one was daunting.

"Of course, you won't be alone!" Tessa was sure to add.

Clary's eyes widened. That could only mean one thing.

"Will already talked to Jace and he said he'd be happy to help you."

"No," Clary groaned.

Tessa had made it one of her goals in life to get Clary and Jace on cordial terms. But five years of her near constant attempts had amounted to little more than a deep-seated hatred between the two.

"Please," Tessa begged. "You know you want to. I'm your best friend. How could you say no to me?"

Clary decided there was no point in arguing. Because it was Tessa she knew she could never say no.

"I'll do it, but only because I love you."

* * *

Clary was putting in her earrings when the doorbell rang.

"Coming," she called.

She grabbed her coat from off the bed, flipped off the lights, and closed the bedroom door behind her. When Clary got to the living room, she saw that her roommate had already let her boyfriend in and he was waiting for her.

It had been a month since she had started teaching, and to celebrate they were having a night out. Additionally, it was nearly their five-year anniversary, so it made sense to celebrate the two occasions together.

"You look nice." Jordan smiled.

"Thanks," she blushed.

She walked over to the closet and took her shoes out. Clary then went to the couch to slip them on.

"What are you going to do?" Maia, Clary's roommate, asked.

"Dinner and then I think we'll see where the night takes us."

He glanced at her and winked, causing Maia to let out a nervous laugh. Clary knew that look, he had a plan.

"Well, have fun," Maia said, standing up. "Be safe."

Clary stood to pull her jacket on. After a quick once-over in the mirror, she went and looped her arm with Jordan's.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded and walked with him to the door. When she had turned the lock they set off to walk to the restaurant.

When they arrived their table was already waiting for them and they were promptly seated.

"It's so nice to be out in the real world, surrounded by adults," Clary told him, as they were deciding what to order.

"Is it?" He laughed.

He had no idea. Her first month had been the longer than she could have ever imagined. But she was having the best time with it. She loved her students and surprisingly had found it much easier to teach language arts than she initially thought it would be.

Clary felt her phone vibrate, just as the waiter poured them both glasses of champagne and left the bottle. She quickly pulled it out and read the text.

 _Maia: Let me know if you want the apartment tonight_

Clary let out a laugh. From across the table, she could see Jordan's curiosity.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I'll put it away. No more phone. I promise."

She clicked the power button and turned to slip it back into her coat pocket. When she sat back up Jordan was beaming at her with an open ring box, causing her to gasp.

"Jordan-I-I."

She was speechless. Clary didn't know what to say. Of course, she had had an inkling that it could be coming, but she felt so unprepared.

"Yes!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, thank goodness. For a moment I thought you would say no."

"Of course not!"

Jordan picked the ring out of the box and took Clary's hand. He then carefully slipped it onto her finger.

"It's beautiful." She breathed.

"Just like you. And the name Clarissa Kyle."

* * *

They were just starting dessert when her phone began to ring. At first, she silenced it, assuming that is was Maia, but after two more calls, she finally gave up and broke her promise. When she pulled out her phone, she saw that the calls had come from an unknown number.

"Who is it?" Jordan asked.

"I'm not sure," she said just as it began to ring for the fourth time." But I think I should take it."

She stood up and started towards the entrance of the restaurant, pressing the accept button when she was nearly outside.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Clarissa Fairchild?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"This is she."

"My name is Officer Townsend, I'm calling you from Beth Israel in regards to William and Teresa Herondale, who have you listed as their primary emergency contact. I'm sorry to inform you, there's been an accident."

* * *

 **What do you think? Is it worth continuing? Please let me know in a review! Also, I'm always open to feedback and constructive criticism.**

 **~Lillie**


	2. Minutes Passing

**Thank you all for the support! I really appreciate it!**

 **I decided to answer the questions I was asked in reveiws:**

 _ **1) Is it based on the movie?**_

 **Sort of. I came up with the idea and then watched the movie to create more of a structure.**

 _ **2) Will there be Jaia?**_

 **For now, no. I haven't thought about putting them together.**

 _ **3) Shouldn't this be a crossover story?**_

 **Technically I believe yes, however the focus is Clary and Jace so I decided not to put it in that category.**

* * *

Clary felt herself go numb. She had only seen Tessa the day before. They'd gone to the park with Lucie and James and had watched the ducks together.

She was already sobbing by the time she made it back to Jordan. Clary was so upset that she was unable to tell him what was wrong at first. When he finally managed to piece it together from her broken sentences, he helped her get up and put her jacket on. He then walked her to the entrance of the restaurant.

The hostess stopped them on their way out, but Jordan told her that he would be right back to pay. She then saw the state that Clary was in she agreed and let him walk her out.

Jordan let her go once they were outside, and went over to the curb to call a cab over. When one pulled up, he told the driver where to take her and paid in advance, he then kissed her on the forehead and let her get inside. As the cab pulled away, she looked at Jordan through the rear window. He stood where the car had been, watching it drive away.

Clary turned her attention back to the road ahead. She had stopped crying by that time and began to prepare herself for what she would find at the hospital.

When Clary arrived, Officer Townsend was waiting for her in the ER. From there he took her to a quiet room near the ICU. After asking to check her ID, he began briefing her on what had happened.

"William and Teresa appear to have been driving home when they were struck. We believe that the other driver was drunk due to the lack of skid marks. The impact flipped their car. Currently, William is in surgery, due to the massive head trauma he sustained. I was a responding officer and spoke with Teresa at the scene. She was conscious and seemed to be alert when I spoke to her, however, I haven't received a status update on her in over an hour, but I'll do my best to get more information."

Clary took a few moments to try and process all of the information. Will in surgery, Tessa no update. She knew enough to know that their conditions could take a quick turn for the better or worse.

She then thought about the person who had hit them. The officer had scarcely mentioned them. Clary knew that they were to be held responsible.

"What about the driver? Where are they?"

"Unfortunately, they fled the scene," he informed her.

She felt a surge of anger. What type of person would cause an accident and just leave? It was in no way right.

"But you'll find them right? Because isn't this now a hit and run?"

"In the morning we'll try to pull all footage from the area of the accident in order to obtain a license number. However, until then, all hospital ERs have been put on alert and are on the lookout for any patients who come in for injuries consistent with a vehicle accident or are intoxicated."

He sighed, making her wonder how many times he had gone through the same situation. How many families had he seen these tragedies strike? How many children had gone through not having their parents come home?

"What about the children? Where are they? And what about the baby? Tessa's four months pregnant."

"They'll go into emergency custody for the night and tomorrow they will be temporarily placed with their next of kin. And I'll check in on everyone as soon as I can."

Officer Townsend paused for a moment to look through the papers he held. He then looked back to Clary.

"Do you know who their next of kin is?" He asked. "They didn't' list anybody."

"Will has his parents and his sister, but they live in England. Tessa only has her brother and his wife. Oh, and, Will also has his cousin, Jace."

She cringed at the thought of Nate gaining custody of James and Lucie, even if it was only temporarily. Tessa hadn't spoken to him in years, not since just before their parents had died, when he had suddenly married his wife. Though Tessa had no hard feelings when he cut off all contact with the family.

"We've already contacted Jace since he's the secondary emergency contact. He should arrive shortly."

"Thank you, Officer," she said, sensing that there was nothing more to discuss.

They both stood and left the room. After he walked her to the ICU waiting room, he went to go inquire about Will and Tessa for her.

Clary sat in the waiting room going over nearly every possibility. Except for the one, she refused to accept. Will and Tessa would not die. They couldn't.

When Jace arrived, she ran to him, catching him off guard. He held her in an embrace as she began to cry again. She had never been so relieved to see Jace. He looked just as distraught as she felt, which was surprisingly comforting to her. She couldn't have ever imagined seeing him so broken and close to tears.

Eventually, they moved back to the chairs. As they waited they somehow found themselves holding hands in silence, while they did their best to remain calm.

* * *

 _Fall 2010_

" _I don't understand why you're so insistent that I go out with this guy," Clary huffed._

 _Tessa stood directly behind her, pinning Clary's hair up, with intense concentration. She watched Tessa's reflection in the mirror, as she steadily shoved, what Clary could have sworn was the hundredth bobby pin, into her hair._

" _He isn't just some guy. He's Will's cousin," She said, taking a step back to admire her handy work. "And he's going to be the best man."_

 _Clary rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand why Tessa had somehow worked up the notion that she would fall in love with Will's cousin and live happily ever after. While he was going to be her escort at the wedding, since Clary was the maid of honor, it didn't mean he was going to suddenly become her life partner._

" _You know if you wanted us to be related you could just marry Jonathan instead. You've known him long enough. Actually, you've known him so long that I'm sure you have nothing left to fight about. It'd be the most peaceful marriage ever." Clary told her._

 _Tess cringed in disgust and shook her head._

" _Goodness, no. Gross. He's like my brother. Something about the fact that we literally took baths and ran around in diapers together makes it innately creepy and messed up."_

" _Oh, well." Clary shrugged. "You would have had my blessing."_

 _Tessa was right, though. Jonathan had been a better brother than Tessa's own biological one had been._

" _Besides, I like that I always get to learn something new about Will every day. I can't do that with your brother."_

" _Really? Well then, what did you learn about him today?" Clary asked._

 _She paused for a moment to think._

" _Hmm." Tessa glanced down at her wristwatch." There are still a couple hours left in the day."_

 _She turned her attention back to Clary's hair, seemingly unsatisfied how both sides weren't even. As she pulled a few pins from her hair Tessa suddenly began to laugh uncontrollably._

" _What's so funny?"_

 _She turned to face Tessa, who had gone red in the face from the lack of air. Clary was almost sure Tessa would choke, and she'd have to perform CPR, which she was not at all qualified to do._

" _Will," Tessa laughed." I actually remembered something I found out a few days ago."_

" _Something so funny it's worth almost dying over?"_

 _Tessa took a few deep breaths, in an attempt to calm down. Clary patted her on the back, the way you would a newborn._

" _Apparently, Will has a phobia of ducks."_

 _Clary looked at her in confusion. It was so random that she wasn't quite sure what to say at first._

" _How can you be afraid of ducks?" She asked._

 _Tessa took a couple more breaths and then went to sit on her and Will's bed. After another moment, she answered._

 _"Will was telling me that when he was eight or so, Ella took him swimming in the pond next to their house, right? And I guess she somehow managed to get some peanut butter on the inside of his swim trunks, so he's swimming and then all of the sudden something starts biting him. Will gets out of the water, where of course Ella is laughing hysterically. But he's paying so much attention to her that he doesn't notice that the duck followed him. It ended up biting him and chasing him all around, and Ella just watched."_

 _Clary gave Tessa a skeptical look. She couldn't be sure that Tessa wasn't just messing with her._

 _"Are you sure he wasn't screwing with you?"_

 _"See that's what I thought at first. But I'm 100% sure. Because I took him to the park the other day and as a joke, I bought some duck food. Long story short, I manage to get him near the pond, and throw some food on the ground. Before you know it ducks are swarming around us and Will starts yelling and clinging to me."_

 _Clary laughed at first, but then stopped and sat down beside Tessa._

 _"Simon?"_

 _Clary nodded. It had only been a few months since they'd broken up. She'd been with him since they were fifteen. Clary never thought he'd give her a reason to doubt him, but in the end she had been wrong._

 _"Hey, you'll be okay," Tessa said. "You're going to go out with a very attractive man tonight- don't tell Will I said that. And you're going to have a great time."_

 _Tessa leaned over to hug her._

" _The best way to get over a man is to get under a new one," she told her, causing Clary to laugh._

 _They had just broken their hug when the doorbell rang. After one final check to make sure that Clary's hair was perfect, she led her down the hall to the living room._

 _Tessa went to open the door, letting Will and Jace in. While Will went to give Tessa a kiss on the cheek, Jace gave Clary the one over. She shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to react._

" _Clary, this is Will's cousin, Jace," Tessa announced, from where she stood with her arms wrapped around Will._

 _Clary extended her hand out to Jace. He shook it, with a slightly amused look on his face. He was sizing her up._

" _It's nice to finally meet you." He smirked. "Tess's told me a lot about you. Not all good, though, I'm afraid."_

 _Clary's eyes darted over to Tessa, who was still attached to Will. She'd gone a bit red in the face._

" _Shush!" She giggled. "You'll make her get mad at me."_

 _Clary internally sighed in disgust. The jerk had Tessa eating right out of his hand, which he was very obviously accustomed to. She wondered if he'd ever met a woman who didn't swoon over him, then made a promise to herself that she wouldn't be one of them._

" _Right." He smiled. "She's got that temper you told me about."_

 _Clary felt the urge to make a vomiting noise. She'd never seen Tessa like this, not even for Will. Her jackass-ometer was getting off the chart readings._

 _"You guys had better get going if you're going to make your reservation," Will told them, looking down at his watch._

 _Jace nodded and went towards the door. Tessa let go of Will and moved over to Clary._

" _Be nice," Tessa warned, giving her one final hug before she put on her jacket._

 _Once Clary was bundled up she went through the front door, which Jace was holding open for her. She briefly caught his gaze as she passed the threshold. He then followed her._

 _"Have fun you two," Tessa called as they walked down the hallway of the building._

 _She was standing in the doorway with Will, watching them, halfway looking concerned and the other half smiling like a proud mother._

 _Clary and Jace made their way to the elevator. Once inside he pushed the button for the garage, which surprised her. Most New Yorkers didn't have cars. And if they did, they weren't a twenty-one-year-old college student (at least she assumed he was a college student, she wasn't sure). The entire thirteen -second ride down- of which Clary counted every single awkward second- was painfully silent._

 _She followed him to his car and got inside. As they pulled out of the building he turned on some music, along the heater due to her shivering. It was only October, yet it felt oddly cold to her already._

 _"Where are we going to eat?" She asked, her teeth chattering._

 _He kept his eyes on the road ahead, meticulously avoiding taxis as best as he could. Without breaking his concentration he replied._

 _"I may have told Will that I made the reservation. But I forgot." Jace shrugged._

 _She rolled her eyes. What had she expected? A romantic evening at a four-star restaurant followed by a midnight stroll?_

" _What do you say we call off dinner, go back to my place and have a little fun? Then we can honestly tell Tess we hit it off."_

 _She reached over to the stereo and switched the music off. Clary wasn't sure if he was kidding or if she had just heard him wrong._

" _Excuse me?"_

 _Clary was glaring at him by that point, silently cursing at Tessa for having to have been the one to arrange it._

" _You seem like a nice, smart girl, I think you can put two and two together."_

 _That was it. She'd had enough. Clary looped her purse strap around her wrist and reached over to unbuckle her seat belt._

" _Pull over."_

 _Jace looked over at her in honest surprise, convincing her that she was the only girl who had ever objected. It gave her a distinct pleasure to be the one to burst his self-righteous bubble._

" _What?"_

" _I said pull over," she said with more determination._

" _I'm not pulling over," he scoffed._

 _Clary flipped the lock below the window off and swung the door open. Jace slammed on the breaks, causing her to slip forward a bit and for the car behind him to angrily honk._

" _Where are you going?!" He demanded as Clary slipped out of the car._

 _She glanced back at him from the pavement. It took a lot of effort for her to not smile at how mad he was. But as she saw it, he deserved it._

" _Home," she said, before slamming the door._

* * *

"Who's that?" Clary asked after she heard Jace's phone buzz for at least the fifth time.

They'd been sitting in the waiting room for over an hour, with no sign of the police officer or any doctors. The initial feeling of mutual worry had faded to the background and as they had been sitting there she had grown increasingly more annoyed at him with each passing minute.

"No one," he said switching the phone off before shoving it into his pocket.

"I'm sorry, how silly of me. You're right. She'll be no one by next week when you move one to _yet_ another girl," Clary mumbled.

He glanced over at her, visibly unhappy about Clary commenting on his dalliances.

"Oh. And where were you tonight?" He sneered, motioning to the engagement ring.

She looked down at her hand. With everything going on she had forgotten. But he certainly had no right.

"That isn't fair! I was with my boyfriend. Who were you with? This weeks hookup?"

Jace narrowed his eyes at her.

"You know what, I'm not going to deal with this," Jace told her, kicking the chair back as he stood up. "The hospital can call me if something happens."

"What?" Clary exclaimed. "You're just going to leave?!"

She stood up, clenching her fists at her sides. She was sure she would have punched him had it not been for the doctor who approached them.

"Are you Jonathan Herondale and Clarissa Fairchild?" The doctor asked, glancing down at his clipboard.

The pair almost immediately forgot their anger and quickly answered with a wavering "yes". He looked at them with a sadness that already told them what was coming.

"I'm afraid I have bad news. Despite our best efforts, Teresa suffered severe internal injuries and lost a great deal of blood. I'm sorry to have to tell you that she has died."

* * *

 **Please review and tell me what you think! Also, feel free to ask any questions, I post the answers in the next chapter.**

 **~Lillie**


	3. Go By

**Happy Leap Year! I hope you've had a wonderful day. And I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **I only got one question for the last chapter. Always feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer them.**

 _ **Did Tessa lose the baby?**_

 _ **Yes, I'm sorry. It was a tough and very debated choice, but I made it. I hope you aren't too mad.**_

* * *

 _August 2011_

 _They were sitting in the hall of the hospital maternity ward, eagerly waiting to greet the newest addition to the Herondale family. Clary was beyond excited. She felt like it was an early birthday present. Baby James had arrived exactly a week before her birthday._

 _They'd been waiting for nearly half an hour. Conveniently Clary and Jace had gotten to the hospital at the same time, something that Will had most likely done on purpose._

 _As they sat there Jace's hand had somehow had crept its way to resting on her shoulder. She glared down at it and then back up to him. For as long as they had been there she had been fending off his smart-ass remarks._

 _"_ _What do you say? You, me? Dinner?"_

 _"As appealing as that doesn't sound, I'm going to have to say no. And besides, I have a boyfriend." Clary brushed him off._

 _"Right," Jace laughed. "Officer boy. How could I forget?"_

 _She scowled at him. Right then she wanted nothing more than to beat him over the head with the fruit basket she held._

 _"You've been together what, five months?"_

 _"Seven," she told him through gritted teeth._

 _She stood up to go stand on the other side of the hall. He looked her up and down. What was it with him and the constant need to look at her as if she were a child about to throw a tantrum?_

 _"A whole seven months?" He cooed mockingly. "You must have brainwashed him really well. If you throw something will he fetch it?"_

 _That was it. Clary reached into the basket and took out the first circular thing she could find and chucked it at him. He looked at her in surprise, but still managed to catch the apple._

 _"Aww did I hit a nerve?"_

 _She threw another, only this time harder. Jace laughed and playfully passed the first apple back._

 _Will popped his head out the door causing them to freeze. He rolled his eyes at them, seemingly unsurprised._

 _"Look, I love you both, but Tessa's trying to nurse for the first time and you're kind of interrupting the moment. Could you keep it down?"_

 _Clary glared at Jace the moment Will had closed the door again. She then threw one last apple, this time hitting the side of his head, catching him off guard._

 _"I hate you," she mouthed._

 _Clary went back to the other side of the hall. Her shoulders brushed Jace's as she sat. A shiver of disgust ran through her. He was the last person she wanted to be sitting next to. But she doubted that she'd ever be able to escape him, given that her best friend was married to his._

 _When Will finally told them they could come in she couldn't have been more relieved. But then she felt Jace's hand touch hers. He leaned over and took the basket from her as they were walking into the room._

 _"Hey!" Clary exclaimed, trying to take it back._

 _Jace took a step back and lifted it up high, before moving to the other side of where Tessa lay, to set it down on the bedside chair._

 _"Sorry, Tess," Jace said, looking over at Clary. "Some of them are a bit bruised. A certain someone got a little bit clumsy in the halls."_

 _Clary scowled at him. Fruit may not have been the most personal gift at least she brought them something. Besides, something much better than fruit was waiting for Tessa when she got home. She didn't know it, but Will had had Clary paint the nursery._

 _"Good thing we have plenty of experience babysitting these two." Remarked Will, clearly having seen the look Clary had given Jace._

 _Tessa laughed, causing James to stir in her arms. She did her best to sit up, still visibly exhausted._

 _"Do you want to hold him?"_

 _Clary nodded and reached forward and slowly took James. She immediately became aware of the weight of holding something that was so fragile and small._

 _She felt Jace lean in behind her. Clary could tell that he was just as enamored._

 _"Hi, Jamie," She smiled._

* * *

She was half asleep, unsure of where she was. Clary knew she should be home, but couldn't figure out why she wasn't. Then she was awake and painfully aware.

"I love you too," he whispered, leaning over to brush a few strands of Clary's hair out of her face.

At first, she was confused and thought that Jace was talking to her, but then she realized that he was on the phone.

"Yeah, she's here. She's asleep," he said. "She's taking it about as well as you'd expect."

Clary yawned as she shifted on the bed. She tugged the blanket up to rub her eyes.

"I have to go," Jace told whoever was on the other end. "I'll see you soon."

Jace ended the call and leaned away from her. He moved the chair back a few inches. Clary pretended to not notice.

"Where am I?" Clary asked, sitting up.

She looked around the room. The walls were bare and the furniture looked like it hadn't been replaced since the 80's. It smelled distinctly of disinfectant.

"It's an on-call room. You fell asleep in the waiting room, but they let me move you in here."

The room reminded her of the bunk room in the precinct where Jordan worked. She would sometimes find him there when he didn't go back to his apartment for the night.

She wanted to ask him who he had been speaking with, but then she remembered earlier when she had been so nasty towards him. And then, of course, the doctor had shown up.

"What time is it?"

Her eyes scanned the room for a clock, but it was too dark to see.

"It's around 5."

Clary cringed, as she brought her hand up to rub her forehead. She'd gotten less than two hours of sleep. She asked him if he had gotten an update on Will, but he hadn't. Clary knew that he had to be out of surgery.

She got out of the bed and pulled her jacket, keenly aware of how ridiculous she must have looked dressed for a nice evening out, with smudged makeup. Clary picked her heels up off of the floor and walked out into the hall, with Jace behind her.

Together they made their way through the seemingly endless halls, as their searched for a nurse's station. They gave her Will's name and asked if there was any information she could give them. She directed them over to the waiting room and told them that one of the attendings would come speak with them.

They decided to stand instead of sit. Both were uneasy and needed the comfort of pacing.

They had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes when the attending approached them. He motioned towards the chairs, but they both declined. Sitting for potentially more bad news wasn't what they needed.

The doctor launched into a series of complex terms and explanations, none of which made sense to Clary. She began to feel inadequate and wished that someone who understood better could have been there, no offense to Jace. If only Will's father had been there, he would have known what it all meant.

"I'm sorry, but can you repeat that in a way I can understand?" Jace asked. "I'm not a doctor."

Clary looked over at him. She didn't want to be thankful, but she was. For some reason, having Jace with her provided some comfort, as much as she despised him. They were in the same boat and had to stick together.

"William is out of surgery and in recovery. The surgery was to repair chest lacerations sustained in the accident. Additionally, he suffered trauma to the head and he's currently in a medically induced coma."

She internally breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, something that made sense. It wasn't complicated. It wasn't fancy. They were just the facts.

"But he'll wake up?" Clary asked.

The doctor's facial expressions remained the same. He showed no emotion, just the steady look of concentration that came from him calculating what to say next.

"It's too soon to give a definitive answer. William is stable."

She didn't have any more to ask. Clary heard Jace ask more, but she was done listening by then. She needed to process what they had been told. If Will didn't wake up, what would happen?

They thanked him and then debated over what they should do next. It was nearly 6:30 by that time, but still too early to do anything about James and Lucie. Ultimately they decided that Jace would drop Clary at home to let her shower and change and take a few hours to figure some stuff out. While she was getting sorted, Jace would call social services and sort everything out. After, if everything worked out, they would go pick them up.

She followed him to the parking garage, still barefoot. By that point, her tights were ripped and her dress was riding up. Clary felt like an exhausted disaster.

As she they drove, she couldn't help but think of the last time she had been in the car with him. With the windows down and the sound of night filling the car. She had been so giddy and drunk. As much as she hated the memory, she also cherished it.

Tessa and Will had been so happy that night. And somehow finding herself in the back seat of a car with the best man seemed right. At least at the time.

When he dropped her off at home, she found no one waiting for her. The apartment was familiar but distant. She had a strange prenotion that it would feel inherently different from the loss, but it didn't.

Clary went to her room to take off her clothes and lay out some new ones. When had everything she thought she might need for another night at the hospital, she grabbed a towel and went down the hall to shower.

* * *

"What did they say?" Clary asked as she closed the car door.

He pulled away from the curb and reentered traffic. Jace answered without looking over.

"They'll let us pick them up at noon after we sign some papers. We're the emergency contacts for them and since Tessa's brother couldn't be reached they're allowing them to be in our custody."

She glanced down at the time on her phone. _10:03_. They had two hours. Clary then looked out the window at the passerby. They all looked so content and unaware to her. They didn't seem to have a single worry, making her envy them.

"What about Will's family?" She asked, looking away from the window and back to Jace.

"I talked to Cecily this morning. She and their parents are on the first flight they can get. They should be here tomorrow."

Clary realized that must have been who he was talking to when she woke up. Despite the gravity of the situation, she found herself disappointed. For some reason, she had built it up in her head that he was talking to one of the many non-platonic women in his life.

Clary returned to looking out the window. She sat quietly for a bit and thought about Cecily and Will's parents. How horrible it must have been for them. They'd already lost Will's older sister, Ella, nearly fifteen years prior when she had drowned. What would happen if they lost Will too?

"If Will doesn't-"

"Stop," Jace said, cutting her off. "We aren't going to talk about this right now."

They spent the rest of the drive in silence. When they arrived at the social services office, Jace parked. He then suggested they go to a nearby coffee shop, making Clary realize that she hadn't eaten since the night before.

They ate and made small talk, but not much more. Both had little in common and knew that anything more than a casual remark about the weather or the artwork in the shop would lead to an argument.

When it was near noon, they walked back to the office and went inside. They talked to the receptionist and then sat down to wait.

An hour later, they had signed the forms and been briefed on what the next steps were. Until Will's parents arrived, Clary and Jace would be their guardians. Aside from that, they weren't told much more.

A woman brought the children into the room. They immediately lit up with excitement. Lucie was handed to Jace, and Clary bent to pick James up.

James quickly launched into a story about what he and Lucie had done the night before. He told them that he liked the family they had had the sleepover with and that he wanted them to be their babysitters again. It relieved Clary to know that they hadn't been too worried. They'd just thought it was normal.

When James tired of telling them about the fun he had had, he asked about his Tessa. He said that he wanted to see her and tell her too. Clary looked to Jace unsure of what to say. Jace told him that their parents were sick and that he and Clary would take care of them until they were better.

James seemed to accept the answer, and Lucie was content either way. She could see on Jace's face how glad he was that he wouldn't have to tell the right then.

They talked for a few more minutes. Once they seemed all ready to go, Clary set James down and the four of them walked out to the car. Though when they got there she realized they didn't have any car seats.

"What about the car seats?" She asked.

Jace unlocked the car, and then shifted Lucie to his other side, to open the back door.

"I've got them."

She hadn't noticed them when she'd gotten in. He must have stopped by Will and Tessa's to pick them up. It hadn't occurred to her before that that was where they'd likely be going.

Clary decided to bring it up. She got James into the car and buckled him in, before getting into the passenger seat. Jace started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

 _November 2010_

 _The wedding was beautiful. It had been like spring in the fall. It was held in what had once been a barn and had flowers everywhere._

 _After Will and Tessa's first dance, Jace came over with two glasses of champagne. She didn't want it but reluctantly took it, knowing that she had to be on her best behavior. She was determined to make sure Tessa's wedding went off without a hitch._

 _Surprisingly, no one seemed to notice that she was drinking. Though aside from the people who personally knew her, it was likely assumed that she was the same age as Tessa._

" _What, did you come over here to just smirk at me?" She asked, taking a sip._

" _No. I came over to make it look like you don't hate me."_

 _She frowned slightly and took another sip. It had been a few weeks since the disastrous date and they hadn't spoken once since. Not that either of them felt like they needed to. But they could pretend just for one night._

 _Somehow one thing led to another and two drinks later Jace asked her to dance. She would have said no, but effects of the champagne had begun to set in and she didn't see why she shouldn't say yes._

 _Jace pulled her out onto the dance floor and spun her around. She let out a laugh and clung to him. Something about the way he twirled her about made her wonder why she hated him so much. Momentarily she nearly liked him._

 _She wasn't sure how long they danced before she pulled him from the barn and out towards the field. It was cold out, but she needed to clear her head._

 _At first, they just walked, without saying anything. Everything was so quiet, and the only sounds were from the crunch of leaves beneath their feet and their breaths._

 _After a bit, they began to make their way back towards the barn. Clary told him that she didn't want to go inside yet and so he walked them over to the back of the building, where the cars were parked._

 _By that time she had begun to shiver, and so Jace removed his jacket, leaving him only in his dress shirt. As he went to wrap the jacket around her shoulders, he leaned in close. Then his lips were on hers._

 _He pulled away. Clary thought she had done something wrong at first, but then Jace picked her up. Suddenly she was in the back seat of his car and he was rolling the windows down. Then he was next to her and they were kissing again._

* * *

 **Sorry, it took a bit! I've been crazy busy with school and work. Hopefully, I'll get to update soon again. Please review and tell me what you think!**


	4. Hold You Dear

**Aloha! Sorry it's been so long, but you know, life and such. However, it's my spring break so I've had plenty of time. I've gotten to spend my entire week in Kaua'i writing, surrounded by my insane family. But I'm so happy I found the time to write.**

* * *

The beeps of the machine echoed through the room, making it nearly impossible to concentrate. Clary had been trying to read the same page for over fifteen minutes with no success. She looked over at Jace, who sat still with a look of determination.

"Is any of this making sense to you?" She asked, setting the papers down.

Jace looked up and shook his head. Clary could tell he was just as exhausted as she was.

"No," he sighed.

He leaned back in his chair and locked his hands behind his head. Unlike Clary, he hadn't had the opportunity to take so much as a nap yet. He was running on next to nothing.

They had been looking at the forms that the doctor had given them, for over an hour. From the way that the nurses kept coming by to check on them, they knew what the hospital wanted. They wanted Clary and Jace to sign the papers. They wanted them to choose to take Will off life support.

"Maybe we should wait until they get here," Clary suggested.

"No. We need to have answers when they get here. And the last thing I want to make them do is read through twenty pages of garbage."

Jace tipped his chair back so that all four legs were on the floor. He then reached over to pick up his highlighter, before voraciously scribbling on the page in front of him.

"Good thing they gave us two copies," she mumbled.

He looked back to her and then put the cap on the marker. Jace set them both down on the bed as he stood up.

"You know what, you're right. We have a few hours until they land. We can go visit Lucie and James and then come back to reading this."

"You need to sleep."

"I don't feel like it. And I doubt you do either."

She sighed. He was right. Sleeping while Will lay in a hospital bed didn't seem right.

"Okay. But I want to come right back."

On their way back to Will and Tessa's apartment Clary made Jace pull over and switch, when she realized that he was too tired to be driving.

When she had redone her seatbelt, now in the driver's seat, she tried to ask him what he thought would be done if the worst were to happen. Once more, he brushed her off, and told her to drive. She felt the slightest bit of relief, not having truly wanted to discuss it. They drove the rest of the way in silence.

At the apartment, they asked the babysitter to take a few hours off, so they could spend time with the children. She asked for an update on Will, and they told her what they knew, which wasn't much.

Jace made the kids lunch, while Clary did her best to tidy up the house. As she made her way to Lucie's room to gather laundry, she passed Will and Tessa's bedroom. She paused for a moment to stare at their door.

She could imagine them getting ready for their date. Tessa would have been ready for over half an hour before Will and would have been reading a book on their bed. Will would have struggled with his tie as usual, and she would have gotten up and helped him fix it. He would have then made a joke and Tess would have laughed.

Clary wondered if either of them had known, or had any inkling. Could they feel that it was their last night together? Or that it was the last time they would be a family? Or the last time they would both kiss their children goodnight and leave for a night out?

She turned away and continued to Lucie's room when she started to feel the familiar burning sensation of impending tears. After collecting Lucie's clothes she went back out into the hall. Clary couldn't bring herself to look at the door again, and went straight down to the laundry room.

When she walked back into the kitchen after starting the wash, Jace was on his cell, speaking in hushed tones. He was walking unsteadily on the tiles, causing his shoes to squeak. She'd never seen him as uncollected as he was right then.

"Thank you," he said, with a hint of anxiousness in his voice, before hanging up.

She took a deep breath, and then met his gaze. Clary could tell by the look in his eyes that something had happened. When he shook his head, she knew.

Clary looked over to Lucie and James. The pair sat across from one another at the kitchen table, eating their lunch in contentment. They had no worries, and their laughs echoed through the kitchen like a painful reminder. Neither knew that they no longer had parents, or that they had just become orphans.

* * *

The funeral was on a Tuesday, a week after Will's death. To Clary it seemed to be almost a sick twist of fate. Tuesdays had always been Will and Tessa's lucky day. They'd been married on a Tuesday and both of their children had been born on Tuesday. While Tessa had died on a Sunday, Will had followed on a Tuesday. Clary could almost swear that the universe was laughing at her, as though it were a cruel joke.

Clary felt her body begin to shiver as the wind picked up. It was already below freezing, and it wasn't even noon yet. Part of her wished the funeral could be nearly over.

She moved closer to Jordan, who stood beside her. To her relief her he wrapped his arms around her. Though the unwanted glaring from Jace quickly followed.

On the opposite sides of the caskets stood Cecily, with Jamie's hand in hers and Linette, holding Lucie. Edmund was next to them, with one arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders. While Lucie and James were oblivious, the other three showed no expressions. It was the mark of a family who already knew what it was like to lose a child.

She was sure this had to be the worst day she'd ever experienced. Everyone was dressed in black, and sobbing could be heard despite the wind.

When the funeral was done they went back to Will and Tessa's brownstone. It was odd to Clary that so many strangers were in their home. It was as though they were hosting a depressing party, without permission.

The afternoon was filled with accepting condolences from people she'd never met, who claimed to know Will and Tessa from here or there. There were also those she did know; people she and Tessa had gone to school with. Most were from college, with a few as far back as middle school.

Everyone she spoke with mentioned how Tessa had considered her to be a sister, which somehow did ease the pain, even if it were only by the slightest bit. She and Tess had grown up together, from birth. Their mothers had been friends, and from early on the girls had formed an unbreakable bond.

That evening, as Clary sat on the couch, she spotted Jace from across the living room. To her surprise, he had his arms wrapped around the waist of a beautiful, model-like blonde. Clary stared at her in disbelief. What kind of person brought a date to a funeral? Especially the funeral of your best friend.

Much to her annoyance, Jace began to make his way towards Clary. As he moved, she noticed his hand on her back. Had she not known Jace she may have even dared to call it cute.

"Hey," he said as he approached.

Clary forced a smile and stood up. Internally she tried to remind herself to be nice. She thought of what Tessa would tell her to do.

"This is Kaelie," Jace told her, motioning to the beautiful blonde.

"It's nice to meet you." Clary lied, extending her hand.

Kaelie looked down at Clary's outstretched hand. She had an expression of disdain. After a moment Clary pulled back.

Clary wasn't sure whether Jace had brought Kaelie just to spite her, or if he was genuinely just that much of a clueless idiot.

Jace smirked at Clary. She then knew that the only reason for Kaelie being there was to irk her. She was instantly more certain than ever that Jace was a complete ass.

"Clary, would you be a doll, and introduce Kaelie to Will's parents?" Jace asked, with a noticeable glimmer of mischief in his eyes. "I have some business to attend to."

She looked over at Kaelie, who was shifting uncomfortably. Clary did her best not to smile. She'd done nothing to deserve the unpleasant honor of parading Jace's girlfriend around like a winning racehorse. If there was any chance she could make the experience awkward for Kaelie, she was going to take it.

"Of course," Clary told him, with her voice dripping in sweetness. "I would love to."

Jace gave her a sarcastic thank you, before leaving the two women alone.

"How long have you two been dating?" Clary asked as she searched the room for Will's parents.

"Two weeks," Kaelie answered.

Clary felt the urge to find Jace right then and there and strangle him. She wasn't even really his girlfriend. Essentially she was just Jace's fling of the moment.

"I think Tessa possibly mentioned you." Clary lied, using her overly nice, passive-aggressive teacher voice.

Kaelie narrowed her eyes, trying to gage whether or not Clary was mocking her. When she couldn't tell, she cocked her head to one side.

"Who's Tessa?" Kaelie asked, looking down at Clary.

Jace had really outdone himself with that one. How classy of him. What a gentleman he was. He'd brought a girl to a funeral and she didn't even know who was dead.

"You know what, I think it's possible his family already left," Clary said. "You should go find Jace, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to show you around."

She turned and walked away before Kaelie could say anything. Overcome with the sudden urge to not be around anyone, she went upstairs.

Clary had just reached the top of the stairs when she noticed Will's sister standing outside of his and Tessa's bedroom. She walked over to stand beside her.

"Hey," Clary said.

Cecily kept her concentration on the door, as she leaned back against the railing.

"You know, when Ella died, I couldn't bring myself to go into her room for weeks," Cecily told her. "I did this same thing. I would just stand and stare at the door, almost as if I expected her to come out at any moment and she'd ask me what I was looking at."

"I haven't been able to go in," Clary confessed.

"It's strange the first time. You'll go in there and nothing will have changed. It's like the room is stuck in time, waiting for them to come back, but they never do."

Clary sighed. If only they would come back.

"I don't have weeks to wait this time, though," Cecily said.

Clary understood. Cecily had a life she had to get back to. She and Gabriel had dropped everything to be with their family.

"I could always send you his things later," Clary offered.

She shook her head her head. Cecily was about to say something when the click of high heels could be heard as someone came up the stairs. She looked over to see yet another gorgeous blonde making her way towards them. At that point, she began to wonder if the Herondale family had an unspoken thing for blondes.

"Shit," Cecily muttered under her breath.

Cecily stopped leaning against the railing and stood up straight. She quickly ran her fingers through her hair, and then turned towards the woman, just as she stopped before them.

"Camille, what are you doing here?" She breathed.

Clary watched as Camille took in the upstairs. Her eyes moved from the art on the wall, before briefly making their way to the bedroom door, then back to them. She was appraising it all.

"I thought I should come and pay my respects to Will." Camille smiled.

Clary took note of Camille's crimson lipstick, her intricately braided crown and low-cut black dress. All together it was stunning. Under any other circumstances, Clary would have complimented her, but not at a funeral. Though something told her that Camille had intentionally dressed proactively.

"Well, isn't that kind of you," Cecily told her. "You really didn't have to come all this way. Will wouldn't have minded either way."

Camille ran her long, elegant fingers along the wood railing, a smirked. It was as though she lit up at the thought of Cecily's small blow.

"Oh well, it's my pleasure any how."

She leaned forward and gave Cecily a lingering kiss on the cheek. When she pulled back, she had a triumphant expression of satisfaction on her face.

"I hope to see you around," Camille said, before turning to leave.

"I don't know what he ever saw in her," Cecily huffed, as she wiped the lipstick from her face. "She's awful."

"So that's who he dated before Tessa?"

"Yeah." Cecily nodded. "He probably would have married her too, if Tessa hadn't come along."

Clary replayed the encounter in her mind. She understood the real reason for Camille coming. She'd wanted to see the life Will could have had with her, had it not been for Tessa.

* * *

The day after the funeral Will and Tessa's lawyer came to meet with Will's family and Clary.

As they sat down at the dining room table she couldn't help but be worried. Among many other things, she knew that James and Lucie's future was going to be discussed. She hoped that Will and Tessa had made plans in case the worst was to happen, as it had. Clary was concerned that if they hadn't designated a guardian that the children might go to Tessa's brother.

The lawyer started off by going over the details of the brownstone and

"As for their children, William and Teresa had decided that in the unlikely event they both passed, Lucie and James would go to Jonathan Herondale and Clarissa Fairchild."

Clary's head snapped up and she looked over at Jace in surprise. She was sure that she must have misheard.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right," Clary said.

The lawyer glanced back down to the papers before him and reread it in the exact words.

"In the event that we both shall die, then we appoint Jonathan Herondale and Clarissa Fairchild as guardians of our children, James Edmund Herondale and Lucie Eleanor Herondale. If the named guardians are unable or unwilling to serve, then we wish for the courts to deem an alternate guardian suitable."

Jace's eyes met hers. She expected him to give her a look of reassurance, but instead he wrinkled his nose slightly.

"They chose us-together?" Clary asked.

"Yes." He nodded.

She took a deep breath. It was a lot to take in. Clary was only just getting ready to settle down and begin her life with someone, and now there was this. It was one thing for her and her fiancé to take the kids, but a much different thing to raise them with Jace.

"I need a moment," She said.

Clary stood and walked from the room. She made her way to the second floor, where she went to stand outside Will and Tessa's bedroom door once again. She turned when she heard footsteps. When she looked, she saw Jace bounding up the stairs after her.

"What do you want?" Clary hissed.

"I just want to talk."

She looked up at him. Clary didn't trust him, just as the past few years had taught her not to. There seemed to always be an agenda behind everything.

"What if we do what they want? We move in here, and we raise Lucie and James."

Clary gave him a skeptical look. He must have been joking.

"What do you get out of this?" She asked, squinting at him.

He dropped his shoulders and let out a sigh. Jace moved to lean back against the railing as well.

"Will was like a brother to me. I want to honor their wishes."

"How is this going to work? I just started my career and got engaged. And lord knows what you do." She retorted.

Jace rolled his eyes. He wondered if Clary ever thought to stop for a single second and listen to herself. As he saw it, the girl was a walking disaster.

"I have a stable job. And if you'd have listened, you'd have heard the lawyer mention that the house was paid off."

Clary thought for a moment. There was no way her apartment was big enough, and neither was Jordan's. She wasn't sure how big Jace's place was, but she assumed it wasn't equipped. Then again, Jace most likely wasn't one for children.

"I still don't think us moving in here is such a good idea. What if I move in here with Jordan? And you don't take any custody?" She suggested.

"First of all, there's no way I'm letting that asshat move in here. And second of all, Clary, I think we can do this. Third, this doesn't have to be permanent. And anyway, how hard can two kids be?"

* * *

 _Mid-November 2010_

 _The music blared in her ears, causing her head to pound._

 _Clary wasn't one for parties, but with Will and Tessa gone on their honeymoon she'd had nothing better to do. And Maia had practically begged her to go._

 _Clary felt someone brush against her. At first, she thought nothing of it, but when she looked over, she saw Jace standing beside her. She should have known._

 _"What are you doing here?" Clary asked, rolling her eyes._

 _She was nearly tempted to ask if he was following her but worried that he might interpret it as her flirting._

 _"I'm just trying to get to know my fellow peers better," Jace said._

 _She glanced over at him in horror. As far as she knew, he was a student at Oxford, where Will had also been a student, prior to meeting Tessa. It didn't make sense that he would change schools as well._

 _"You're going to go here?"_

 _"I officially transfer in next quarter."_

 _He smiled and looked down at her. Clary did her best to resist the urge to vomit. Though it was possible the feeling came from the alcohol._

 _"Why?" She asked._

 _Clary took a sip of her drink. She looked up at Jace, who was still grinning, then took another._

 _"You're asking me why? Why don't you tell me why you dropped out of Yale."_

 _That was when she took drink number three, thought for a moment, then let herself have another. She was about to go for number five when images of Jace and her in the backseat of his car flashed through her mind._

 _"That's none of your business." she told him._

 _"That's funny, because if I recall correctly, it was over a breakup."_

 _She felt the blood rush to her face. Anger surged through her. The only way he would have known that was if Tessa told him._

 _"Tessa told you?"_

 _"Oh please, she didn't have to. You couldn't be more obvious about it if you tried. And with what happened at the wedding, you only made it that much more so."_

 _Clary stared at him. She hated how much it amused Jace. Everything about her life seemed like nothing more than one big joke to him. It hardly seemed fair to her that he got to make so many assumptions about her, though some of them may have been right._

 _"And the thing is, deep down I know that some part of you must like me. You seemed pretty into me at the wedding, even if I was just a rebound," he said._

 _"I was drunk!" She exclaimed._

 _He cocked his head to the side and smirked._

 _"You were tipsy at best, and that doesn't justify-"_

 _"I don't want to talk about this, and especially not with you."_

 _Clary spun on her heels to walk away, but someone's foot tripped her. She went straight into the boy who had been standing a few feet behind her, causing her to spill the rest of her drink all over the both of them. He caught her just before she fell to the floor._

 _"I'm so sorry!" She yelped._

 _He told her it was all right, as he stood up and then reached down to help her to her feet. Clary could still feel Jace's eyes on her as she pushed past the boy she had spilled the drink on and ran towards the exit. Clary tossed her cup into the trash on her way out._

 _Clary breathed in deeply as she made her way down the steps, onto the sidewalk. She was still mad, but being out of the stuffy and loud house was soothing. As she began to walk, she pulled her phone out of her purse to text Maia to tell her she was going home._

 _"Hey!" A voice called after her._

 _Clary turned to face back towards the house. When she saw that is was the boy she had run into, who was still soaked in the beer she had spilled on him, she shoved her phone back into her purse._

 _He was slightly breathless when he caught up to her._

 _"I really am sorry," she told him. "I just didn't want to be in there."_

 _He shrugged and told her it was fine, once more. She still felt bad. Especially since it was cold out, and he was way more soaked then she was._

 _"Hey look, I was actually about to head back to my room. Could I walk you back to your dorm?"_

 _She paused to think for a moment. It seemed like an odd suggestion, but she didn't see the point in saying no. And it wasn't like she really could; after all, she was the one at fault._

 _"Sure," Clary told him. "I might have something you can change into."_

 _They began to walk towards her building, which unfortunately for them, was on the other side of campus. As they walked she began to shiver, making her regret not bringing a jacket._

 _"Boyfriend?"_

 _"No." She laughed, unexpectedly._

 _He had an awkward look on his face. She had known him all of two minutes and he was already trying to get the go ahead to flirt._

 _"Ex?" He suggested._

 _She mentally rolled her eyes. Did it really matter? He was soaked through and yet he was more worried about wearing the shirt of an ex-boyfriend than being cold._

 _"Brother actually."_

 _She could feel him lighten up next to her._

 _"Oh." He sighed, in relief. "I just thought that you and that guy-"_

 _"Oh, no! Trust me, Jace and I aren't together."_

 _The thought was about as appealing as being stuck in a room with crying children and no way out. It still irked her that someone other than Tessa could see them together. She found the redeeming qualities in nearly anyone, save her brother, so it made sense that there was some likable aspect of Jace she was able to find. Albeit it was most likely with a microscope, but she still found it._

 _As they continued to walk Clary realized she didn't even know the boy's name. How rude she thought it was that she hadn't asked. It had completely slipped her mind._

 _"I'm sorry, I just realized I don't actually know your name," Clary said._

 _"Oh yeah, it's Jordan." He smiled, extending his hand so that she could shake it. "And you're Clare, right? I sit a few rows back from you in English 108."_

 _"Clary actually." She smiled._

* * *

After spending the afternoon with the lawyer Jordan came to pick Clary up. James and Lucie would be spending the night at home with their grandparents, which gave her the night off.

Of course, she had to tell Jordan, she just decided to wait until they made it back to his apartment. Though the agreement wasn't official, she and Jace had agreed to become the guardians of the children.

She had thought that Jordan would be proud and understanding. Clary assumed he would see the greater good of what she was trying to do. Had she told him before agreeing, she was sure this was the direction he would have pushed her in.

On their way up the stairs, she blurted it out, unable to contain it any longer. The guilt of the secret was consuming her. But almost just as quick as the words had left her mouth, she regretted saying them. Jordan almost instantly began to argue. He then only became more livid when she revealed the details of how she and Jace would be moving into the brownstone- together.

"If they were our children wouldn't you want them taken care of?" She asked. "Wouldn't you want them to go to someone who would love them?"

"Yes, but it isn't like that." He frowned as he threw his jacket onto the table." We just got engaged and suddenly you're making a family with Jace."

"That's unfair!" She exclaimed. "They gave us equal custody. It isn't like I'm breaking up with you to be with him!"

"No. You're just moving in with him."

He glared over at her. She was still standing by the front door, debating whether or not she was going to stay the night. Though she wasn't quit in the mood to stay anymore.

"I thought you would support me on this!" She cried, beginning to feel anger well up inside her. "I thought you of all people would understand! We're getting married for Christ sake!"

Jordan stared down at her. She watched as a strange look came over his face.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," he said.

She was about to move towards him but stopped.

"What do you mean?" Clary asked.

"Maybe we're a mistake. I think we rushed into this. I'm not sure I should have proposed."

Clary looked down at the ring on her finger. He couldn't be serious. Their engagement was far from rushed. It was anything but. Besides, their engagement was still brand new.

"It's been less than two weeks!"

"I know, and that's the problem. A lot has changed." Jordan shrugged. "You've changed."

* * *

 **So that was a lot to take in. We got to meet Cecily and Camille (I promise it isn't the last we'll see of her), as well as Will's parents (sort of). And uh oh, do you think Clary's relationship is over? Especially since she'll be raising James and Lucie with Jace?**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **Please review!**


	5. Things Left Behind

**Long time no see, I know. Sorry! But here you go! By the way, there is now an official trailer for NTD!**

 _ **Will things be told from Jace's POV?**_ _ **(JMDeaton)**_

 **Honestly, I hadn't planned on it before, but I think it will add some nice touches, especially as the story progresses. And in this chapter, you'll catch a glimpse of it.**

 _ **In chapter 3 was Jace on the phone with Cecily? And if so why did he say he loved her?**_ _ **(A Brunette Angel)**_

 **Yes indeed. Jace and Cecily are cousins in this. For reasons we have yet to get to, Jace knows Cecily very well, just as he did Will. Within the next few chapters, we'll start to get a sense of why Jace is so close to them.**

 ** _Did Clary and Jace just make out or have sex?_ (Shauna Kullden)**

 **Well, for now, it's open to your interpretation. I have a definitive answer, but for now, I'm not telling. Caitlyn1225 has a theory all about that, and it's consequences, but I won't say much more.**

 _ **I'm going to start answering all questions at the beginning of each chapter, so don't hold back.**_

* * *

Jace set the box he had been carrying onto the floor of the guest room, as James followed him. He reached out and took a pair of scissors from the bed, then cut the tape off the box. He stuck his hand in and began to pull out clothes.

"Alright little man, you want to help?" Jace smiled, handing Jamie a few pairs of socks then pointing to the dresser.

James walked over and with some difficulty pulled the top drawer open. He stood on his tiptoes and dropped the socks inside. He ran back to Jace for more, but instead of giving Jamie what he wanted, Jace picked him up and spun him around, which caused him to giggle.

Clary was walking by when she heard Jamie laughing and stopped. She stood in the doorway watching. As much as she disliked Jace, she had to admit that he was good with the kids, though not very present when she needed help taking care of them.

Jace looked up to see Clary staring at him, causing him to frown. Since agreeing to take the kids they hadn't talked much. Other than the move in date they mutually agreed upon, they'd said nothing to each in over three weeks. Not even when they'd both happened to be with the kids at the same time, or when they'd run into one another coming or going from the house.

At first, she had been hesitant to move into the house with him, but it became clear that eventually Linette and Edmund would leave and moving in would be best for Lucie and James. They had been staying in the house since arriving, but that night they'd be moving to a hotel for the duration of their stay, as Cecily and her husband would be doing.

"Jamie?" Jace said, setting him down. "Why don't you go see if Lucie is awake."

James nodded and then ran past Clary and into the hall. She could hear his footsteps drawing near to his sister's room and the sound of him throwing the door open and calling out for her.

She continued to stand in the doorway, certain she could think of some excuse for it. When she couldn't she realized that leaving was likely the best option. Clary was about to leave when Jace began to say something.

"Sorry, I missed that. What?"

"Can you watch the kids tonight?" He asked, breaking down the box.

She involuntarily furrowed her eyebrows. They weren't even fully moved in and he already wanted a night off. But what did she expect?

"Why?" She asked.

He rolled his eyes and threw the cardboard onto the bed. Jace then picked up a few shirts and moved towards the dresser.

"It's Valentines Day, and while you may not have a decent romantic life, some of us do."

She ignored his remark about her love life. It hadn't even occurred to her. Between grief, moving in, getting settled with the kids, and the break up with Jordan, Valentines Day was the absolute last thing on her mind.

Clary was tempted to say no, but then realized it was her chance to get him out of the house. While it meant a night alone with the kids, it was worth it. Handling two preschoolers was easier than being around Jace.

"Fine. I guess," she said.

He gave her a satisfied look, much to her annoyance. Before Will and Tessa had died, something like that possibly would have sent her over the edge. But given the current predicament, she made every effort to hold back.

"Excellent."

Jace walked towards where she stood in the doorway. When she didn't move he purposely brushed her shoulder, then stopped halfway through.

"I'll be out… late." He smirked, glancing down at her. "Don't wait up."

"Oh gross," she muttered.

He laughed, then continued down the hall, towards Lucie's room.

* * *

After putting the kids to bed, Clary went downstairs to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. She had texted Maia, asking if she could come over, but there had been no response. Clary had thought about asking Cecily, but she didn't think that Cecily would pick spending the even with a near stranger to being with her husband. So Clary sat alone, first studying the details of the room before her gaze inevitably found its way her bare ring finger.

Of course, she'd given the ring back to Jordan. Though she was certain Tessa wouldn't have approved. She would have told Clary to keep it until she was certain the engagement was over. So many things had happened so suddenly, which had possibly scared Jordan.

* * *

 _Late January 2016_

 _Jordan stared down at her. She watched as a strange look came over his face._

 _"Maybe this was a bad idea," he said._

 _She was about to move towards him but stopped._

 _"What do you mean?" Clary asked._

 _"Maybe we're a mistake. I think we rushed into this. I'm not sure I should have proposed."_

 _Clary looked down at the ring on her finger. He couldn't be serious. Their engagement was far from rushed. It was anything but. Will and Tessa had been together only six months before getting engaged and just over ten when they'd gotten married. Clary and Jordan were just over a week from their fifth anniversary. Besides, their engagement was still brand new._

 _"It's been less than two weeks!"_

 _"I know, and that's the problem. A lot has changed." Jordan shrugged. "You've changed."_

 _Clary was surprised by how dismissive he was being. Normally they would have had a rational discussion. It was startling to see how strongly his unfounded jealousy had impacted him._

 _She walked towards him until she was close enough to reach up and touch his shoulder. She expected him to pull away or to at least look down at her, but he did nothing. Jordan just continued to stare angrily ahead._

 _"My best friend died. And I'm trying to do right by her. I want to make sure that Jamie and Lucie have a good future."_

 _"And what about our future?"_

 _He brushed her hand away and stepped back. She watched as he decided what to say next. With each second that passed, she became more painfully aware of the way he made her feel small and powerless._

 _He glared at her, causing her to take a step back. She was startled by how angry he was, never having seen him that way before._

 _"If they're what you want then I'm not going to stop you. But don't think you can just turn around and fix this. You chose them, just remember that."_

 _"Please don't do this," she whispered, as her index finger and thumb from her right hand ran across the band on her ring finger._

 _Jordan let out a rough laugh and held his hands up._

 _"Then don't choose him."_

 _She took in a deep breath. As she stared at him she searched his face for any of the Jordan she knew and loved._

 _"I can't do that, you know it," she said._

 _"Then I can't do this."_

 _Clary froze, deciding what she should say or do next. Nothing seemed right. He was the love of her life and he stood in front of her destroying them._

 _"Okay," she whispered at last._

 _She slowly backed away from him, twisting the ring off her finger as she went. When she made it to the table she looked down at it once more. It broke Clary's heart as her fingertips met the cool glass, followed by the sound of the ring meeting the surface._

* * *

After her third glass of wine, Clary trudged upstairs to the guest room she had been staying and got into bed. She wasn't certain when she fell asleep, but not long after she heard a crash, which caused her to wake up. At first, she was sure she had imagined it, but soon another noise came from downstairs, forcing her to sit up.

She slowly willed herself out of the bed and downstairs. As she got closer to the front of the house she could hear giggles echoing from down the hall. Quietly she entered the living room and switched on the lights.

Clary watched as Jace leapt up from the couch, and Kaelie sat up clutching her dress to her chest.

"What are you doing?!" Jace exclaimed.

"This isn't happening," she said, looking back and forth between them, doing her best to keep her vision level.

"Jace! You said no one was home!" Kaelie squealed.

Jace looked down at her. Kaelie angrily stared up at him, while she still attempted and failed to cover herself.

"Clary is no one," he told Kaelie, as he pointedly made eye contact with Clary.

Kaelie shot Clary a look of pure annoyance. She ran her eyes over Clary in disgust. Clary thought it must be because she just wanted her to leave so she and Jace could pick up where they left off.

"And I bet you he didn't tell you that-" She paused, shamefully unable to remember their names. "The kids are asleep upstairs."

"You have kids?!" She exclaimed.

"Kaelie, I need you to leave," Clary said, struggling to keep her words straight.

She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. A wave of embarrassment ran through her body, though she wasn't sure why.

Kaelie stood and let out a huff. She leaned over and said something unintelligible to Jace, then stepped away.

"Wait," Jace said, reaching for Kaelie's arm. "I'll drive you home."

"No thank you. I'll get someone else to do it. You probably have a diaper to change," Kaelie spat, before angry stomping from the room.

Moments later the front door could be heard opening and then being promptly slammed shut. With Kaelie finally out of the house, Clary let out a giggle. To her, it seemed hilarious, how Kaelie hadn't even managed to put her clothes back on before leaving.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jace growled.

"You must be out of your goddamn mind if you think any of this is okay," Clary said, swaying where she stood.

"Just because you and the glorified security guard are fighting doesn't mean that you have to be such a buzz kill. It isn't my fault that he didn't take you out for Valentine's Day."

Clary resisted the urge to tackle him. She'd beaten her brother a good deal of times and was sure that she could take him.

"He's a police officer and you know it!" She shrieked. "And besides, we broke up so why would I care?!"

Jace came around to the other side of the couch and began to walk towards her. He stopped short of being six inches away, causing her to shiver.

"Oh you poor thing," he soothed, sarcastically. "For the first time, I can finally say I'm jealous of him, because lucky him. He got out while he could, and here I am stuck with little Ms. Look at Me, I'm perfect."

"You don't know anything about me."

Jace scoffed and rolled his eyes in disdain.

"I do know that you're the last person I'd ever want to spend any time with. I've spent years tolerating you for Will's sake."

"Just like when you kissed me at Tessa's wedding?" She giggled, remembering how she had been just as equally drunk that night as she was then.

Clary pressed a hand to her head and turned away from him. She was tired of fighting and just wanted to go to bed. She started to walk away, but quickly lost her balance and tripped, nearly falling into the wall.

"Clary, have you been drinking?" Jace asked, catching her by the waist.

"Why do you care?" She asked, swatting his hands away.

"Why do I care?" He hissed. "I left you here alone with James and Lucie. I may not respect you, but I at least trusted you to act like an adult."

"Well, look in the mirror buddy," she slurred.

Clary stumbled away from him and into the hall.

"Let me help you upstairs."

"No!" She exclaimed, pushing him away. "I can do it on my own, just like I do everything else."

* * *

The next morning when Clary woke it was still too early for anyone else to be up. Her body told her to go back to bed, but she resisted, not wanting to be in the house when Jace woke up. Normally she would have taken the kids with her, but she wanted to be alone.

She got ready in silence, then snuck out of the house. When she got outside she saw Jace's car parked in front of hers in the driveway and didn't feel like moving it so she went back inside and grabbed his keys instead. She knew he would probably be mad, but after the previous night, she didn't really care what he thought.

At first, she wasn't sure where she would go when she left since it was so early. Clary then realized she had yet to visit Will and Tessa's graves.

The cemetery was only a ten-minute drive from the house. But with the snow, it took her nearly twenty. She parked in the lot and then began the half-mile walk to where their graves were. As she walked she started to wish that she had worn a better jacket. But in her hurry to get out of the house she had just grabbed the first one that she could find.

As Clary neared their plot she walked up the hill, towards their graves. She hadn't been to see them since the funeral, nearly a month before.

She slowly approached and knelt down. Clary reached out to wipe the snow off of the headstones. She continued to brush until she could clearly make out all the words.

 _William Owen Herondale 11/2/1988-1/12/2016_

 _Teresa Gray Herondale 4/13/1989-1/10/2016_

Clary heard the crunch of footsteps in the snow come from behind her. She turned around to see Cecily. She was bundled up tightly in her winter coat and scarf, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Hi," Clary breathed.

"Hello," she said, stepping closer. "Do you come here often?"

Cecily paused for a moment and then went wide eye. She let the bouquet go with one hand, then reached up and nervously clasped her fingers around her wrist.

"I'm sorry. That sounded line a chat-up line," Cecily gasped, realizing what she'd said.

"No," Clary nearly laughed, but then stopped short. "This is the first time."

Clary could see her breath as she let out a sigh. She looked over to Cecily who was staring straight ahead. Her cheeks were rosy from the chill in the air.

"I've been visiting them every chance I get before we go home," Cecily said, glancing over.

"You're leaving?" Clary asked. "I didn't know."

While she and Cecily hadn't become close, they had formed a connection. She'd lost her brother and Clary had lost Tessa, who was just as close as a sister would have been. With everything, she thought Cecily would be there at least anther few weeks.

"Yeah. There's not much of a point in us staying. Jamie and Lucie are getting settled in well and we've already been here a month."

She was right. Will's family had dropped everything to come. Cecily had only intended to stay until the funeral but ended up staying a month. After weeks of them being in New York Clary had gotten used to them. And for the first time, it dawned on her that once they left she would truly be all on her own with Jace and the kids. There would be no Sunday afternoon trips to Central Park for Jamie, Lucie, and Edmund. There would be no more late night calls to Linette when Clary needed advice. And there would be no more Cecily volunteering to help. She and Jace would have to be the ones to drop off and pick up the kids from school. Her entire support system would disappear.

"I wish you could stay," Clary confessed.

"I know. I do too. But Gabriel and I have a whole other life across the ocean."

"I've gotten so used to having you around." Clary smiled weakly. "It's been so hard without Tessa."

Cecily nodded in agreement. They understood each other's loss.

"We'll be here until next Tuesday," Cecily said. "I would love to stay longer but we've already pushed it by staying this long."

"I get it. You have work and things to get back to."

They stood in near silence for a few moments. The only thing that Clary could hear was the sounds of their breathing. Clary looked over at Cecily.

"We're having a baby," Cecily blurted out.

Her eyes darted over to Clary, then she nervously glanced down at the grass. Cecily almost instantly regretted the words. She suddenly wished that she'd said nothing. She hadn't even told her own parents.

"Oh wow," Clary breathed, unsure of the proper response. "That's a lot to take in."

No wonder she and Gabriel needed to get home. The most likely had things still left to do before the baby came.

"Yeah," Cecily agreed. " I'm sorry, I guess I just wanted to tell you before we leave. It's a girl by the way."

"I understand," Clary told her. "That's good news, though, in all of this."

She looked back down to Tessa and Will's names.

"You know, Tessa was so excited," Cecily said. "She, Will and Gabriel were the only ones who knew."

She smiled to herself. Clary knew that Will would have been the best uncle. He loved children, as did Tessa.

"I haven't told my parents yet," she told Clary. "It just isn't the right time. Hopefully, I can make it without telling them until after we get home. Lucky for me it's winter I guess."

Cecily was indeed lucky. The only thing that had saved her was being constantly bundled up to combat the below freezing temperatures.

"When are you due?" Clary asked.

"July," Cecily said, with her voice cracking. "About a month after Tessa would have had her baby."

* * *

When Will's family left the following week Clary and Jace were finally on their own. On the first morning, Jace left early since he had to be at work before she did, which meant that Clary would have to drive the kids to daycare.

The night before Clary had packed their lunches and laid out their coats and boots. In the morning she woke them both up and took them downstairs for breakfast. When they were done she got them dressed and piled them into the car.

The nursery school was a thirty -minute drive from the house. Clary wasn't sure how to occupy James and Lucie at first, but she soon discovered that they normally passed the time by singing. While Lucie did little more than screech, and Jamie forgot half of the words, Clary was still somehow able to find pleasure in it.

After finding parking near the school, Clary got Jamie and Lucie out of the car and walked with them to the building. Though she quickly discovered that it took longer with them, since Lucie kept removing her mittens to toss them in the snow and Jamie stopped to admire every single snowman. A perk of having children she supposed.

When they finally made it inside Clary was in a hurry, but luckily it seemed that Jamie was as well.

James ran forward, knocking into a few parents who stood in the doorway. Clary, who was only a few steps behind, chased after him.

"I'm sorry," she said breathlessly.

She pushed past them to get into the classroom. She scanned the room for Jamie, who was already playing. Clary went over and set Lucie down beside him.

"Why don't you give me your coat, Jamie," Clary suggested.

He looked up at her and let out an exasperated sigh. She was prepared for him to argue but he didn't. James reached up and began to tug at it. His hands were still in his mittens, which made him unable to unhook the buttons. Clary leaned over and undid them for him. She then removed the mittens from his hands and let Jamie hand her the coat and hat.

"Thank you," she told him.

He turned away and went back to playing with the toys. Clary walked over to where the cubbies were and hung everything up in the one that said his name. Lucie was still waiting for her by Jamie when she got back. Clary reached over and patted his head, then picked Lucie up to leave.

When she was almost to the door she felt arms wrap around her legs and looked down to see Jamie clinging to her. He was staring up at her.

"Will mommy and daddy pick me up after school?" He asked, with wide eyes.

She didn't know what to say. He hadn't brought his parents up even once. Neither had Lucie for that matter. Looking down at him it occurred to her that she and Jace hadn't explained anything to the children. Sure there had been a funeral and they'd gone, but how were they to know that everything had been for their parents.

"No," she said, taking a deep breath.

James scowled in confusion. Clary expected him to get angry or to possibly yell, but he stayed silent.

"Jamie?" She whispered.

"Okay," he said. "I miss mommy."

Her heart broke hearing him say that. He would never stop missing her but at some point, he would realize that she wasn't coming back. Neither of them were.

"I miss her too."

James didn't say anything else before he skipped away towards his friends. Part of Clary wondered if it would always be this way. Would he always ask about her? Would he even remember her?

Lucie squirmed in her arms, reminding her of what she was supposed to be doing. She glanced over at Jamie one more time, then turned to leave. Looking down at her watch she realized that she was running late and if she didn't hurry she wouldn't make it to work on time.

When she made it to the entryway the same two women were still standing there. She waited for them to move, but when they didn't it became clear that they were intentionally standing in her way.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to push past them.

They still made no effort to get out of her way. Both continued to ignore Clary for a few more moments, before turning their full attention to her.

"You must be the new nanny," one of the women said, giving Clary a once over.

Clary squinted in confusion. What about her screamed nanny? She then realized that they knew she wasn't a nanny and they were just pestering her.

"No," Clary replied. "I am not. You must have me confused with someone else. Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be."

She again tried to get through, but they blocked her. As much as she hated it, she was really starting to get annoyed. She wasn't the least bit amused that these women found pleasure in torment.

"Oh, I think Teresa must have mentioned you," she said, feigning interest. "You're that one unmarried friend she has."

"Yes, that would be me." Clary rolled her eyes. "I'm late and I would like you to move. I have better things to do than just stand around and gossip. Some of us actually have jobs and such."

She looked as though she were about to burst out laughing.

"How quaint," she said amused, with her smile turning to a smirk. "I'm Senator Whitelaw's wife."

"How quaint," Clary mocked. "I didn't vote for him."

The smile on her face disappeared almost immediately. For a moment Clary felt tiny next to her, despite their similarity in size. But she then realized that there wasn't really anything the woman could do to her. At least physically.

"I would watch your step," She warned, getting precariously close. "I can make your life very difficult. So I just want to make something very clear. I make it my mission to oversee every detail of how this school functions, and what our children learn. So if I say jump, you ask how high."

 _A PTA mom_ , Clary thought. How delightful. She possibly would have said something, but given that she didn't have the time, she stopped herself.

"Have a nice day," Clary made herself tell them.

She forced herself between the two women and into the hall. Clary quickly walked away, unable to shake the feeling that she didn't belong. She hated how much they had rattled her. This was Tessa's life. It wasn't hers.

As she walked towards Lucie's classroom she was sure that they would be waiting for her at pickup that afternoon. And so she decided to do the only thing she could think of to get out of it. Even it meant crossing enemy lines.

* * *

"Jace Herondale speaking."

Jace pulled up his left cuff and look down at his watch. It was 10:35.

Clary was surprised at the formality in his voice. Though it made sense. She had called him on his work phone.

"It's Clary. Do you have a minute?"

Jace mentally cursed. Tessa must have given her his number, though he didn't know why. It annoyed him that she not only knew his personal phone number, but his business one as well. She virtually had an all access pass to him.

"I don't have time to talk right now. You can call my assistant or secretary."

Jace checked the time again. 10:36

"Jace, I need you to pick them up from daycare," Clary said, ignoring what he'd told her.

"I'm really busy. Why can't you just do it?" He huffed, seeing his assistant motioning for him to hurry from the corner of his eye.

She heard Jace turn away from the phone and tell somebody that he would be right there. It was clear that he was agitated by her phone call.

"Fine. But I expect you to pay me back."

Jace angrily pressed the end call button. He had already been running late to his 10:30 meeting when Clary called. The five minutes he'd been behind had turned to seven. And by the time he made it up the elevator and to the conference room he would be eleven minutes behind schedule.

He stalked towards the elevator and jabbed the button. As he waited impatiently, he turned to Frederick, who was hastily making notes in his planner.

"I need you to call Isabelle and have her pick up the kids from daycare. Then I need you to call the daycare and let them know," he said, causing Frederick to look up. " And also, I need you to cancel my afternoon meeting with my father."

Frederick looked back down to his planner in exasperation. He had planned out Jace's every move down to the second. He hated canceling anything.

"But it's been on the schedule for two months," he said.

Jace shrugged. It wasn't a business meeting, which they both knew.

"Tell him that if he wants to see me then he should come by and not schedule things during business hours. He knows where to find me."

* * *

It was near nine when Clary got home. As she pulled up she noticed that Jace wasn't parked outside, but thought that he must have parked in the garage so James and Lucie wouldn't have to trudge through the snow.

She hadn't gotten a call from the school, so she was sure that Jace had remembered to pick the kids up. She reminded herself to be sure to thank him. And while he hadn't been the nicest on the phone, he didn't owe her anything and him doing as she had asked was a kind gesture.

Clary set her keys on the table by the door and removed her jacket. After hanging it on a hook she took off her shoes and tiptoed towards the living room. She could already feel the warmth emanating from the fireplace.

"Thanks for picking-" She began to say, before stopping short.

Clary had expected to see Jace sitting on the couch, but was surprised to find it wasn't him. Instead, she was startled by an irritated looking dark haired woman sitting in one of the armchairs by the fire.

"Oh good," she said, standing up. "You finally decided to show up."

Clary looked around the room. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on.

"Who are you?" Clary asked, cautiously taking a step back into the hallway to look up the stairs. "Where's Jace?"

She moved closer, making her increasingly aware of just how many inches she towered over Clary. Even more intimidating were the heels she wore. Though Clary was strangely impressed.

"I'm Isabelle." She rolled her eyes. "Not that you would care."

Clary paused for a moment. She'd heard that name before. Her mind quickly ran through all the possibilities. At first, nothing added up, but then she remembered.

"You're Will's cousin," Clary said, before mentally adding _"And Jace's."_

Clary let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't as if she had taken Isabelle for a. home intruder who had intentions of harming her, but it was still rather unsettling to have come home to her without any warning.

"She remembers!" Isabelle said with a false sense of awe. "Gold star for Clary."

Isabelle walked back towards the fire. She looked away from Clary.

"Where is Jace?" She asked again.

Isabelle ignored her question. She lingered by the fire for a few more moments, then turned on her heels and moved to the sofa. Clary walked around so that they were on the same side.

"It's oddly convenient that you just happened to have broken up with your boyfriend." Isabelle mused, as she plopped down on the couch and crossed one knee over the other.

Clary stared at her in disbelief. What gave her the right to make assumptions? Before that day she'd never met Clary or even laid eyes on her, at least no to her knowledge.

"Excuse me?"

"It's just that you seem a bit too eager to go along with all of this."

Isabelle held out her hand to examine her perfectly manicured nails, before glancing up. She gave Clary a disapproving once-over.

"Jace told me you're a teacher," Isabelle said, cocking her head to one side. "And I can't imagine that pays too well, even at a private school."

"I'm sorry." Clary laughed, unable to help it. "But it sounds to me as if you're implying that I'm only in this for money."

Isabelle raised her eyebrows in an attempt to feign being impressed. She then smirked at Clary.

"Why would I ever do that?" Isabelle questioned, smiling sweetly.

"Look," Clary growled. "I don't know why you're here and Jace isn't, but you have no right to come in here and just start making assumptions. In fact-"

She was interrupted by the sound of a key turning in the front door. She let out a frustrated sigh as Isabelle jumped from the couch and quickly went into the hall, where Jace was taking off his winter wear. Clary angrily followed, stopping in the entryway between the hall and living room. She crossed one arm over the other.

"Izzy." Jace smiled, before instinctively frowning when he saw Clary standing behind her.

Isabelle leaned over and gave Jace a kiss on the cheek. She then threw a triumphant smile at Clary. Isabelle twirled past Jace and grabbed her scarf. With one sweeping motion, she had wrapped it around her neck and called out goodbye, before disappearing into the night with the door slamming behind her.

"What was she doing here?" Clary asked.

Jace sucked in a breath as he rolled his eyes. Clearly, it was something that ran in the family. For some reason eye rolling seemed to be a staple for them, save Will and Cecily.

"I had her pick up the kids," he answered, picking up that day's mail to flip through it.

"I asked you to pick them up." She huffed.

Jace let out a cold chuckle. He sounded both amused and annoyed.

"I was busy," he said.

"You were busy?" Clary snapped. "You think I wasn't busy? You think that getting James and Lucie ready for school, packing their lunches, and dropping them off was easy? I asked you to do one simple thing, and you couldn't even manage that much!"

Jace threw the mail back down onto the table and glared over at her.

"Oh, poor Clary," Jace muttered. "Everything is so difficult for you."

"It is when I'm the only who does anything around here!"

That's what really sent Jace over the edge. Clary may not have seen it, but he worked harder than she could imagine. Jace had Will's shoes to fill. He had gone from being a mostly single carefree man to being the father of two in the blink of an eye. And he'd be damned is she was going to take the credit.

"You know what, maybe I should just have full custody."

Clary glared at him. How dare he. If anyone should get full custody there was no way that she would let it be him. James and Lucie belonged with her more than him. He couldn't even be bothered to pick them up himself.

"Over my dead body!" She yelled, in a hushed tone, not wanting to be too loud.

Her eyes went wide as she registered what she had said. She wanted to take it back. And judging by the look on Jace's face he wanted to take it back too. But she couldn't. The words had already left her mouth and the damage was done.

"I didn't mean that." She gasped. "I promise."

"I'm not so sure." He retorted pushing past her.

* * *

 **Sorry, it's been so long! Things have been really crazy recently. I finally graduated from high school (ahhhh!), I'm working two jobs, and some of my family just visited.**

 **Anyway, I wanted to touch on a few things.**

 **1) I promise that I'm going to try my best to keep this all accurate. Since this takes place in present day, I'm doing things like looking up weather reports for certain dates that things happen on. The story starts out in January of 2016, so it's pretty easy. But for some of the flashbacks things won't be so accurate.**

 **2) As I mentioned at the top, there is indeed an NTD trailer. The link is on my profile page! It took me hours and hours of footage stalking and a lot of help from the always lovely Caitlyn1225, but I managed to finish it.** **H** **opefully** , **you'll check it out.**

 **As a fun little fact, because this story is happening in 2016, (this chapter took place in February of this year) Cecily has already had her baby. The adorable Anna Lightwood was born 9 days ago, on July 17th.**

 **Sidenote: I actually have the very last chapter of this story already written, which is a first for me.**

 **As always, please review tell me what you think!**


	6. All Too Well (Part I)

**Sorry sorry sorry! I know it's been about 9 months since an update and I apologize. I just got so busy with work and school. Then I had a big trip and now I'm moving! (There are some details below on how you can get a sneak peek of the next chapter if you can correctly guess where I'm moving).**

 **As always here are the answers to your questions. Feel free to leave me questions in reviews and I will answer them in the next chapter.**

 **Will he (Jace) ever realize that he isn't the only one hurting and has to turn into an adult? (Question asked by ThatBlondeALB)**

 _ **Maybe ;) You'll get a few glimpses of why he is the way he is in this chapter.**_

 **Also, shout out to the always wonderful Mrs Jace Wayland-Herondale and Caitlyn1225. Emily was a big help this chapter! And Caitlyn has been on me to get this written since last July.**

* * *

 _June 2010_

 _Clary groaned as her alarm went off. It was only five in the morning, but she had promised Tessa that she would Skype with her at ten o'clock London time._

 _Leaning over, she gave Simon a kiss on the cheek. She wearily dragged herself out of bed and threw on a robe, then headed to the kitchen, before settling back at her desk with a hot mug of coffee. Clary grabbed her headphones, doing her best not to wake Simon. She opened her laptop and went to Skype to place the call._

" _Hey!" Tessa exclaimed, answering almost immediately._

" _Hi." Clary yawned, rubbing her eyes._

 _Tessa beamed at her as Clary took a sip of coffee._

" _Is everything okay?" Clary asked._

 _She was beginning to become suspicious. Tessa rarely smiled that way. In fact, the last time she had seen Tessa with that same grin had been when she was twelve and Tessa was fourteen, and Tessa had proudly announced to her that she had kissed Henry Branwell under the bleachers of the high school football field. Clary remembered it well given the fact that her cousin, Charlotte, had thrown an absolute fit._

" _Why wouldn't it be?" Tessa smirked._

" _Well, I-"_

 _Clary stopped short at the sight of Tessa proudly holding up her left hand. When a gleam came from her ring finger Clary instantly knew what it was._

" _Does Harriet know?" Clary blurted out, without thinking._

 _Clary picked up her laptop and went to her bed, crossing her legs as she sat. Simon let out a small snore as Tessa nervously twirled the ring around her finger._

" _Of course not," Tessa answered, almost seeming annoyed._

 _She knew she should be say anything but what she was saying. Instead of congratulating her like a normal friend Clary was badgering her with questions._

" _You don't think that this is a bit sudden?" Clary sighed. "You've been dating what, seven months?"_

 _Tessa stared at her a moment. Clary could tell it definitely wasn't the reaction she had hoped for._

 _"We've known each other nine."_

 _"And is that enough time to really make this decision?" Clary asked._

 _"It's enough time for me to know that I love Will and he loves me and that's all I need."_

 _"How can you be sure that's enough? Who's to say you won't be getting divorced two months in?"_

 _Tessa's eyebrows furrowed in a way Clary knew all too well. She was annoyed and sad, and hurt above all._

 _"Don't I deserve to be happy Clary? Don't I deserve to have a normal life?"_

 _Clary cringed._

 _"I know what a bad man is. I lived under a roof with one for sixteen years."_

 _"That isn't what I meant," Clary sighed. "Of course you deserve to be happy. But who's to say you won't be equally happy in five or so years when you know each other better._

 _Tessa slightly turned away from the screen, causing Clary to regret all she had said. Why couldn't she have just congratulated her like a normal person?_

 _"Clary, I have to go."_

 _"Tessa, wait. I-"_

 _Tessa ended the call, leaving Clary alone to stare at an empty screen. Clary shut her laptop._

 _The disappointment and shame began to sink in as she trudged back down the hall to the kitchen._

 _Jocelyn was buzzing about by then, busy making breakfast._

 _"I'm sorry if I woke you up," Clary said, sitting down at the table._

 _"Oh, you didn't," her mother assured her. "Luke has an early shift at the station and I wanted to make him breakfast before he goes."_

 _Jocelyn moved away from the stove and went to gather the plates from the cupboard._

 _"How's Tessa?" Clary's mother asked, placing the plates on the counter._

 _"Fine." Clary sighed. "They're engaged."_

 _"What?" Jocelyn asked in surprise. "Does Harriet know?"_

 _"That's what I asked. She hasn't told her yet."_

 _Jocelyn shook her head in disapproval as she began to divvy up the eggs and toast._

 _"Liz and Richard would have had a fit," Jocelyn said._

 _Her mother picked up two of the plates and walked over to the table. She set one down in front of Clary just as Luke came in._

 _"Good morning," he said, walking over to give Jocelyn a kiss. "What a pleasant surprise to see my two favorite women both up so early."_

 _"Your, breakfast is on the counter," Jocelyn told him._

 _Luke thanked her and then went to retrieve it. After pouring a glass of orange juice he sat down across the table._

 _"To what do I owe the honor, Clary?" Luke smiled._

 _Clary rolled her eyes. For as long as she could remember she had been the family night owl, and her waking up at noon or later wasn't uncommon. Whenever she was up before eight her family treated as something close to a miracle._

 _She was briefly spared from answering when her brother stumbled into the kitchen._

 _"I don't know why everyone is up," Jonathan moaned. "We are not early birds. The worms can wait."_

 _"This really is a miracle," Luke laughed. "Both of my kids are awake before dawn and my whole family gets to have breakfast together."_

 _"Not quite," Jonathan yawned, pouring himself a mug of coffee. "Simon is still asleep in Clary's room."_

 _Luke turned to his daughter and raised an eyebrow. She shrugged. He was mostly doing it just to make a show. She was only months away from turning twenty so it wasn't as if he was really concerned._

" _Clary talked to Tessa this morning and it seems she and Will are getting married," Jocelyn announced._

 _Jonathan let out a snort, choking on a bit of coffee in the process._

" _Dear lord," he coughed. "Does Harriet know?"_

 _Clary gave a small smile. She was glad she wasn't the only one who immediately was concerned with what Tessa's aunt would think. Because everyone who knew Harriet knew that ensuing fight would be comparable to the outbreak of WWIII._

" _She didn't tell Harriet yet," Clary answered._

" _Good to know," Luke said. "Because I don't want to be anywhere near her when she finds out."_

" _Ditto," Jonathon nodded. "But you do have to admit, Will is a very lucky man. At least I can be the backup if things go wrong."_

 _Clary scrunched her nose at the thought. She knew Jonathan was joking, especially since the three of them we are practically siblings, but the thought still wasn't a pleasant one._

* * *

On Friday after work, Clary picked James and Lucie up from school and headed home. To her surprise, Jace was already there.

She walked into the kitchen and set her bag on the counter. As she began to take her coat off she noticed the pile of mail that Jace had brought in. After hanging her jacket up she over and flipped through the stack. Towards the bottom was a letter from the children's school.

She slid her finger under the flap and ripped it open.

 _Dear Mr. and Mrs. Herondale,_

 _We thank you for your continued support and your attentiveness to you children's education. As per our agreement, your tuition is due no later than March 10_ _th_ _, 2016. We ask that the full amount of $22,500 be paid by check, which should be addressed to the school's financial department._

 _We would also like to remind you that this quarter's final report cards will be mailed at the end of the month. We highly encourage you to go over the results with your children, as this is essential to their success._

 _Finally, we would like to invite you to this springs parent-teacher conferences. Attendance is mandatory. We ask that you schedule these appointments as soon as possible. As with all previous years, children are not to be present._

 _Please direct any questions you might have towards my personal secretary._

 _Regards,_

 _Marcel St Cloud_

 _Headmaster_

Clary stared at the letter for a moment. Her heart had nearly stopped when she read the amount due.

She walked around the corner, into the living room. Jace sat on the couch furiously typing away on his laptop.

"What's that?" He asked, glancing up.

In the few weeks since their fight things had calmed a bit. Nothing was okay by any means, but they found that when they avoided each other things went a lot smoother. Other than when they had celebrated Jace's birthday with Jamie and Lucie, they'd spent very little time in the house at the same time, let alone in the same room.

"A letter from the school. Apparently, Lucie and James's tuition is due next week," she answered. "It's a lot of money."

She looked back down at the letter. Clary wondered how they were going to get that kind of money together in only a week. Will and Tessa had left some money, though she wasn't sure exactly how much, but she didn't think it would be enough to cover the expense.

"At least it's for the entire year," Clary said.

Jace paused what he was doing to look up at her again. Oddly enough, he looked like he was about to burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

He set his laptop off to the side. Jace got up and walked over to her.

"You think that's the amount for the year, which is hilarious," he chuckled, taking the letter from her hands, "Dare I say almost cute. In a naïve Elle Woods way."

"What are you talking about?"

Panic began to course through her body.

"Clary, that's the price of a single quarter."

Her eyes searched his face for any sign of him messing with her. Jace laughed and handed the letter back to her. Clary began to breathe heavily as she did the math, which made her head spin.

"Are you telling me that it costs $90,000 a year just for preschool?" She asked, doing her best to keep her voice level.

Jace went back to the couch and resumed his work.

"They don't call it private school for nothing you know."

She took a deep breath, doing her best to no hyperventilate. Clary walked over to the sofa and sat down.

"We can't afford this," she said.

"Correction," Jace said, pointing to her. "You can't afford this."

Clary would have been angrier if it hadn't been the truth. But regardless of whether not he was right, it was still a luxury that didn't make sense long term.

"Fine, so I can't afford this. But what are _we_ going to do?"

Jace loudly closed his laptop and gave her an annoyed look. She could practically feel the condescension oozing off of him.

"Well, _I_ am going to handle it. Just like I do with everything else."

 _Resist the urge to slap that smug look off his arrogant face_ , Clary told herself through deep breaths, _resist the urge_.

"What does that mean?" She asked, doing her best to sound calm and collected.

"Don't you worry about it."

* * *

While Clary still wasn't entirely sure what Jace meant about the tuition bill, she had to give him props for following through. When she had called the school on Monday she had been informed that it had been paid in full. She wanted to ask him about it since she knew there was no way he had that kind of money just lying around, but she didn't. And as much as she hated it, she had resolved to trust him.

When the following weekend came around she decided that in addition to putting her best foot forward with Jace she also needed to make amends with his cousin. It had taken a few weeks for her to figure out how she was going to do it, but eventually, a foolproof plan presented itself.

Since it was a Saturday Jace wasn't completely thrilled to be cooped up with the kids all alone but after more than a lot of nagging he had agreed. And that was how Clary found herself on the doorstep of a woman who seemingly hated her, holding nothing more than a box of old photos as a peace offering.

"What are you doing here?" Isabelle asked, even before the door was open all the way.

Clary let out a sigh, praying that she wouldn't be stabbed with a stiletto the moment she walked through the door.

"Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I want us to be friends- no I need us to be friends," she told her.

Isabelle narrowed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. She didn't seem so convinced.

"And why exactly do you need us to be friends?"

"Because of James and Lucie. And I know how close you were to Will," she answered. "It's what they would want."

Isabelle let her arms go free before she brought a hand up to massage her temple.

"Fine," she said, motioning for Clary to come in. "But this doesn't mean I have to like you. You have five minutes."

Clary let out a sigh of relief and then walked past Isabelle.

"You can hang your jacket there," Isabelle told her, motioning to the coat rack by the door. "And shoes go in that cubby."

Clary quickly removed the coat and shoes, carefully obeying Isabelle's rules, then followed her into the living room.

"You have a beautiful home," Clary offered, awkwardly tiptoeing towards the couch.

She wasn't lying. Everything about the room was perfect. The neutral palate was perfectly balanced with small pops of colors. Clary was actually rather impressed. As someone who was stylistically challenged when it came to decorating it amazed her that someone could come up with something so magnificent.

"Thanks," Isabelle said, with her suspicion ringing out clearly in her voice.

"No, really," Clary said. " I mean it.

Isabelle shrugged and then sank down onto the sofa. Not wanting to be within strangling distance of a woman who hated her, Clary sat down in one of the armchairs across from Isabelle.

"What's in the box?" Isabelle asked.

"Oh, they're old photos I thought you might like to have."

Isabelle gave Clary a perplexed look, not that she cared. The photo plan had been the best idea she could come up with.

Clary reached down to open the box.

"Here," she said, handing over the first photo, which Isabelle reluctantly took.

The photo was at least fifteen years old and showed Isabelle, Will, Jace, Cecily and another girl all together in front of a lake. Isabelle couldn't have been older than nine or ten in the photo.

Clary was surprised when Isabelle began to look close to tears.

"Are you okay?" Clary asked.

Isabelle looked up at her. Clary could tell she refused to cry in front of her.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Sorry, it's just that I don't think I've seen this before. I hardly even remembered that we had taken it."

Isabelle pulled up a corner of her shirt-sleeve and wiped under one of her eyes.

"I'm sure you already know about Ella," Isabelle said, looking up at Clary. "Jace spent a lot of time with Will when they were kids and with us too. He pretty much divided his time between us and them year round. His father wasn't really around much after Jace's mother died."

Clary hadn't expected Isabelle to make such a confession. She was also a bit thrown off by it. She'd known about Will's older sister, but not the rest.

"I didn't know," Clary murmured.

"Jace doesn't really like to talk about it," Isabelle told her. "Anyway, sometimes my brothers and I would spend our summers in Wales with them. And this was from the summer Ella died. It may actually be one of the last pictures of her."

Clary shifted awkwardly in her seat. She wasn't entirely sure what to say.

"Thank you," Isabelle said, catching Clary off guard. "I really appreciate you bringing these over."

She felt a wave of satisfaction roll through her body. She'd been right about her plan working.

"Now I'm going to have to kick you out," Isabelle announced, standing up.

Clary stared at Isabelle in confusion. Just moments before things had been going so well. Had she misread the whole situation and Isabelle's reaction?

"I really wasn't joking when I said you had five minutes," Isabelle said. "It's my birthday and I have a lunch date, so I need to get ready."

"Oh, sorry. I'll head out. No problem. Happy birthday by the way."

She was thankful that Isabelle wasn't making her leave because she was angry or because she was seconds away from potentially killing her.

"You can set the box on the mantel," Isabelle told her.

Clary nodded and stood up. She closed the lid and went over to the fireplace. The only space open was on the end, where there was a small space not taken up by photo frames. As she set the box down one of the pictures caught her eye.

"Who's this?" She asked, holding the frame up for Isabelle to see.

Isabelle looked up, squinting for a moment to see which picture she meant.

"Oh, my fiancée," she told her. "That's one of our engagement photos."

In an instant, Clary's turtleneck began to feel constricting. She set the picture down and ran her index finger along the inside of her collar, hoping she might be able to breathe better. The attempt was wildly unsuccessful and the room seemed to spin around.

"Clary?"

She could hear the concern in Isabelle's voice, but she ignored it. Clary had to get out.

"I don't want to keep Jace waiting. I promised him I'd be back by noon," Clary lied.

"Oh, okay. Do-"

Clary quickly walked to the hall and grabbed her jacket. After throwing it on she slipped her shoes onto her feet. And without waiting for Isabelle to say goodbye she was already out the door, hailing a cab.

* * *

Over the years Jace had learned to avoid his father whenever possible. It wasn't that he hated his father, but rather they had shockingly little in common. But just as Jace had learned to accept being raised by various relatives as normal he had also learned to mostly accept his father's disappointment.

It had been a long day of dodging calls from family members and avoiding Clary's emails when he finally made his way to his father's office. As usual, his father's secretary was at her desk, ready to stop anyone from disturbing the fearsome Mr. Herondale, with the office that had the amazing view of the entire city. But it wasn't as if he cared.

"Mr. Herondale, you father is-"

"Don't worry, I'll be quick," Jace lied, walking right past her without so much as a glance.

Stephen was just ending a phone call when his son barged into his office. It never ceased to amaze him how the boy could show up at the most seemingly inconvenient times.

"So the prodigal son miraculously appears," he announced, looking his son over.

Jace frowned but stayed in the doorway.

"You haven't seen me face to face since Christmas, which you were only there for a grand total of five minutes, and that's the best greeting you have for me?" Jace scoffed.

"I'm a busy man, and if I recall correctly you were the one to reschedule our meeting last month," Stephen answered.

He picked up his briefcase and walked towards the door. He had expected Jace to move, but his son hadn't budged an inch.

"Move, son," Stephen said, staring down at Jace.

Jace stayed put. He wasn't going to let his father intimidate him. It wasn't so much that he was afraid of his father, but rather the lack of familiarity between them had led to a strange tension that passed between them. Stephen had never wasted an opportunity to use this to his advantage.

"I'm closing a major deal in twenty minutes and I refuse to be late because of your anger issues."

Stephen again tried to push past his son, but Jace was too quick. His arm shot out blocking the door.

"Don't make me call security," Stephen warned.

"And what'll you tell them exactly? I work here too remember?" He retorted. "Go sit down."

His father glared at him but obeyed. Stephen walked back around to the other side of his desk and sat back in his chair, as Jace pulled the door closed.

"This had better be good," Stephen chuckled, feigning amusement, as he undid the middle button of his suit jacket.

Jace walked over to the edge of his father's desk and leaned forward. He would have sat in the chair across from him, but he knew that it was lower to the floor and he wanted to at least feel like he was in control, even if he wasn't.

"First I want to talk to you about the tuition-"

"I already took care of that when you asked me weeks ago. Or should I say when your assistant asked?"

It never ceased to amaze him how his father could somehow find a way to pin the blame on anyone but himself.

"The point is, I want to keep it that way."

"Is that what this is? You asking me to pay for preschool?" Stephen asked, seemingly in disbelief.

"No, all of it. Preschool, elementary, middle school, high school, university. Everything," Jace clarified. "Hell, if Lucie decides she wants to be a doctor you'll pay for medical school."

"Well, you've certainly asked a lot of me. I'll think it over," Stephen replied.

Jace shook his head and sat on the edge of his father's desk making Stephen uncomfortable.

"Did it sound like I was asking? Because I wasn't."

Stephen momentarily looked at him in surprise, before narrowing his eyes at his son. Jace could tell that he was trying to figure out just how serious his son was.

"I hope you realize what you're asking of me," Stephen said.

"I do, but you owe me this much. If not more."

Stephen took a moment to think it over. He knew his son was right. There really was nothing he could ever do to make up for all the years of pawning Jace off on relatives.

"Fine," his father conceded. "And to sweeten it I'll throw in trust funds for the kids."

"No," Jace answered, giving him a firm shake of the head. "No trust funds. Just their educations."

"Are you cert-"

"Yes," Jace interrupted. "And you never breathe so much as a single word to Clary about this. She shouldn't have to worry about any of it."

Stephen's cheeks reddened. The money wasn't any object, but not being able to tell poor Clary just what she was costing him as nearly inconceivable.

"I want to make sure that you understand the risks you're taking. If you aren't careful this girl could ruin everything you've worked for. Worse than that, everything _I_ worked for and everything _I_ built."

Jace rolled his eyes. His father always seemed to read every situation entirely wrong.

"You're acting like I'm going to get her pregnant," Jace told him.

His father cocked his head to the side and let out a laugh.

"Well, son, you aren't well known for your ability to keep it in your pants," Stephen rebuffed.

Jace did his best to keep his cool. He and Clary weren't officially on good terms but the past weeks had been calmer. Ever since she and that idiot of a man had broken up Jace had found it just a bit more bearable to be around her. Still not quite enjoyable, but at least they could go more than five minutes without wanting to kill one another.

"Let me assure you that there isn't a chance. I wouldn't be with her if she were the last girl on the face of the earth," Jace hissed.

"Isabelle said-"

"Don't talk to me about Isabelle, you have no right," he growled. "But I'm glad that you've chosen to talk to her over me, your son."

Stephen stood up, making it so that their eyes were nearly level. Stephen was made for sure, but the outburst had wounded his pride more than anything.

"Jace, I've always tried my hardest, you know that."

Jace stared at his father.

"Do I?"

It was like a terrible joke. Stephen had never tried his hardest. It had always been about image and nothing more. He'd had the young beautiful wife number two, the pristine house, the young well-behaved son. It was all about projection. There was only one thing he had forgotten to account for in his clear-cut plan. Life.

"If it hadn't been for your mother you know that it would have never been this way," Stephen said, with a rare element of softness to the way he spoke.

If Jace hadn't been so mad he might have had the patience to stay and actually have a meaningful conversation with his father.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you would have cheated on her too, married wife number three and popped out a couple more kids," Jace announced.

He hopped off the desk, and without looking back quickly began making his way to the door.

"Jace, wait," Stephen called.

"Good luck closing your deal," he hollered back, raising his hand in a curt wave.

* * *

 _December 2000_

 _With less than two weeks until Christmas all of New York was abuzz. Parents were buying gifts, while children made lists. It was one of the best times of year to have been in the city, with lights strung up and the tree in the shadow of Rockefeller Center._

 _"I can't wait to get the tree," Jonathan smiled._

 _Clary nodded in agreement. She couldn't wait either. They'd made ornaments in school that day and she was especially proud of hers. She could already see the way the light in the living room would reflect off all the glitter she had put on it. How pretty it would look dangling above all the presents._

 _"I hope daddy doesn't get a tree that's too big," she said._

 _Her brother laughed. The year before their mother hadn't been able to pick out the tree with them and there had been a mishap. Despite the insistence of both his children that the tree was far too big Valentine had gone ahead and bought it. When they'd finally gotten the massive thing home they discovered that it over twelve inches too tall. And despite their mother's amusement, she wasn't too pleased._

 _"What do you want for Christmas?" Clary asked, skipping alongside her brother._

 _It was a tradition that the two always shared their lists. They'd discovered early on that if the other sibling knew they were more likely to get the gifts they wanted._

 _"I want a Razor scooter," Jonathan said, looking into the distance. "Clive Cartwright already has one."_

 _"Well, Clive is a jerk anyway."_

 _Her brother nodded in agreement. The sibling had had their fair share of issues with peers over the years, but Jonathan was the one who always got the worst of it. For some reason, he was treated with an unreasonable amount of disdain by most of the other kids. But Jonathan never let it get to him, and above all, he made sure their mother never knew._

 _"What do you want?" He asked._

 _Clary had known what she wanted for Christmas for months. For as long as she could remember she had been asking for a pet, but the answer was always no. From the moment she first saw the little robotic dog in a magazine she knew she wanted it. She'd never wanted anything so badly._

 _"I really really want a Teksta, but I don't think mommy will get it for me," Clary answered, as they walked up the front steps of their brownstone._

 _"Hmm, well I'm sure dad will. He always gets us what we want."_

 _As Jonathan prepared to unlock the door the pair was surprised to find it open a crack. At first, they hesitated but Jonathan told her one of their parents had probably come home early and just forgotten to close it._

 _He pushed the door open and the pair walked inside. Clary called out for her parents as she took off her shoes. She waited for an answer but none came._

 _She took a few steps forward, but Jonathan reached out to stop her._

 _"Don't touch the glass," Jonathan told her, motioning to the ground._

 _Sure enough, there was a vase shattered on the floor. She let out a small gasp when she realized it was the one her mother loved so much._

 _"I'll go grab a broom," her brother told her._

 _Before her brother could say anything else Clary dropped her backpack and bounded up the stairs. She heard her brother call for her, but she didn't stop._

 _She went straight to her parent's room, throwing open the door. Clary took in the scene before her._

 _"Jonathan!" She yelled._

 _Clary could hear the sound of her brother dropping the broom and within seconds he was standing by her side._

 _He said nothing as they both stood in the doorway unsure of what to do. After a moment he wrapped his arms around her._

 _They stayed that way for what felt like an eternity, staring at the open drawers and smashed picture frames. Then she saw it. Never in her life had she seen her father's wedding ring, not on his finger. And yet, there it was._

* * *

 **So, what do you think? Was it worth the months upon months? _  
_**

 **Here are my questions for you:**

 ** _Why do you think Nate and Tessa didn't talk and weren't close?_**

 ** _What did Clary see in the pictures in Isabelle's apartment?_**

 ** _Do you think things are improving between Jace and Clary?_**

 ** _What do you think of Jace's relationship with his father and why does he resent him so much?_**

 ** _What was going on with Valentine?_**

* * *

 **Now, as I said above I'm moving. So here is how you can get a sneak peek of the next chapter:**

 **You get to list three guesses of countries you think I may be moving to. If one of those three is correct I will PM you a snippet.**

 **Here are my hints for you:**

 _ **1\. It's in Europe**_

 _ **2\. It's a country I've never been to (I went to Scotland this past spring)**_

 _ **3\. I don't speak the language (I speak English and Spanish)**_

 **So guess away! And good luck!**

 **As always please review and tell me what you think! They always mean so much to me!**


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